Return to Oz: Dorothy to the Rescue
by Gotham317
Summary: Sequel to Legends of Oz Dorothy's Return and to my Wizard of Oz Dorothy's Adventure story.
1. Shooting Star

_**Happy New Year everyone! Here's a new Legends of Oz story, based entirely on the movie Return to Oz, including scenes used from Journey Back to Oz and Dorothy Meets Ozma of Oz to make the story longer and better. Bio; Dorothy is grown up and returns to the Land of Oz for another adventure. But this time, she's going up against more than just wicked witches and wheelers, she will need the help of some new friends to help her rescue all her old friends, including a captive Scarecrow. The lyrics I wrote for When the World came from a different version of the song back when the movie was originally called Dorothy of Oz.**_

**RETURN TO OZ: DOROTHY TO THE RESCUE**

Dorothy Gale – Lea Michele

The Scarecrow – Dan Aykroyd

Princess Ozma of Oz – Sierra Boggess

The Nome King/Dr. Worley – Tim Curry

Mombi the Wicked Witch/Head Nurse Wilson – Marianne Benedict

Jack Pumpkinhead – Rob Paulsen

Woodenhorse – Cuba Gooding Jr.

Tiktok – Edward Baker-Duly

Hungry Tiger – Denis Leary

The Gump – Kevin Michael Richardson

Billina – Emily Tierney

The Tin Man – Kelsey Grammer

Cowardly Lion – Jim Belushi

Glinda the Good Witch – Bernadette Peters

Langwidere – Lisa Horner

Wheeler – Mark Hamill

Aunt Em –Tacey Adams

Uncle Henry – Michael Krawic

The Wizard – Michael Crawford

Wiser – Oliver Platt

Marshal Mallow – Hugh Dancy

China Princess – Megan Hilty

Tugg – Patrick Stewart

_**Enjoy Reading!**_

The Kansas sky was clear and full of stars, and the moon shone high over a familiar and quiet farmyard. From her bed, a beautiful girl of eighteen kept her eyes fixed on the glowing moon while her head rested upon her pillow. She could not close her eyes and fall asleep. Her mind seemed to be far away from her bed.

The bedroom door opened and a middle-aged woman walked into the girl's bedroom, dressed in her nightgown. She sat down on the bedside, bringing the girl's attention back to reality.

"Can't you sleep?" asked the woman. The girl shook her head no in silent response. "It's past 3:00 in the morning, Dorothy."

"Aunt Em?" The girl asked.

"What is it, precious?"

"I wish I could put my head in my hands and fall asleep, like Toto does."

"Very soon you will, Dorothy."

In another bedroom, Uncle Henry, who couldn't help overhearing the small talk between his wife and niece, sat down on his bedside with a slight groan. He glanced over at a small newspaper clipping of a Dr. Worley's Miracle Works with a sigh.

"I just can't seem to pay out cash for this doctor when I don't have any money left. We don't even have money for a college fund for Dorothy."

Aunt Em, who had just come back into the bedroom, sat at her husband's side. "Don't worry, Henry. Garnet said she would give us the money we need to pay for the doctor."

Henry looked at his wife in disbelief. "Garnet? That's charity, Emily."

"Well, she's my sister," said Em, "and it's for family, not charity."

In her bedroom, Dorothy could still hear her aunt and uncle talking about her, and she grasped the two sides of her pillow to cover her ears and not listen to what they were saying, for it pained her to hear what they were going to do about her.

"It's been six years since the twister and Dorothy still hasn't been herself ever since…" was all she could hear Aunt Em say. "I'm taking her over to Cottonwood Falls tomorrow afternoon to see if she can be helped, and all she ever speaks about is some other place that just doesn't seem to exist...a talking Tin Man…..a walking Scarecrow…..a Cowardly Lion…..and ruby slippers."

Suddenly, a falling star streaked across the sky, almost close to the barn. Dorothy shot upright in bed when she saw it. "A shooting star, Toto!"

At the foot of the bed, and at Dorothy's feet, a little black dog, though older than last remembered, whined and smiled at his mistress.

Dorothy climbed out of bed and sat down on the floor, sitting on her knees, and her hands together as if in a prayer, she made a wish upon a star. "I wish that I could return to Oz, to see all my friends again, and to prove to my aunt and uncle that Oz really does exist."

The very next morning, Uncle Henry was outside feeding the pigs dumping their feed in their trough, and Dorothy had collected chicken eggs for today's breakfast in the large chicken wire pen. Since the chicks had grown up and started families of their own both the pen and the coop had to be built bigger. One of the chickens that Dorothy knew too well was Billina, a light brown hen that Dorothy once helped fix her home years ago after the twister.

It had been six years since the twister hit Kansas and the town had been rebuilt and fixed, all thanks to Dorothy Gale, whom the people now called a town hero. Dorothy was no longer the spunky twelve year old she had once been years ago. She was a grown, matured, not to mention attractive, young lady. Her brown hair seemed to have grown longer, reaching up to her breasts, no longer was it tied in pigtails. She now dressed in a blue and white checked short-sleeved shirt with blue overall shorts, and old cowboy boots.

After finishing collecting the eggs, Dorothy went back to the farmhouse, entering through the back door where that took her to the kitchen, and set the basket down on the table to put the eggs in some of the waiting trays. Her Aunt Em was busy heating up the grill to cook the eggs for breakfast.

While she was busy unloading the eggs, Dorothy caught Toto chewing on one of her satin slippers.

"No Toto, no! My slipper is not to be played with!" Dorothy scolded, taking the slipper out of Toto's hold, and shooed him out the door so he could play. Dorothy walked back to her bedroom to put the slipper away when she stopped and looked at the slipper. The color and semblance reminded her of the ruby slippers she once wore in the Land of Oz. Thinking about Oz made her miss it even more, and she missed all the friends who loved and cared for her.

"What are you thinking about?" Aunt Em asked, noticing Dorothy staring at the slipper.

Dorothy didn't answer in embarrassed silence as she tossed the slipper away in the direction of her bedroom.

"Answer me," Em said, firmly.

"The ruby slippers…" Dorothy answered, quietly.

Aunt Em shut her eyes in fatigue and sighed. Dorothy opened her mouth to say something when the door flew open and Billina came fluttering in, clucking wildly. Toto came following after, chasing and barking at Billina.

"Shoo! Get out! Shoo!" cried Aunt Em, waving her apron at the hen.

Dorothy rushed over and picked up Toto, holding him tightly so he would not chase after Billina anymore. Billina dashed right out of the kitchen still clucking wildly.

"Dorothy, go see if Billina had laid some eggs this morning," said Aunt Em.

Dorothy nodded, put Toto down, and went out the back door.

She found Billina inside the barn, wandering aimlessly near the horse stalls. Dorothy suspected that if Billina wanted to be in here, she must've hidden her eggs in the haystack in the barn. So Dorothy dug into the haystack, looking for chicken eggs but found none.

"Where are your eggs, Billina? Didn't you lay any this morning?" Dorothy asked the chicken.

Billina just clucked at her in response.

"Billina, if you don't start laying eggs again, Aunt Em says she's gonna cook you up for dinner," Dorothy sighed.

This made Billina go into a panic mode as she began clucking and flapping her wings frantically, and started to run out of the barn when she suddenly tripped on something metal and fell with her beak stuck to the wooden floor.

Dorothy saw this and helped Billina get unstuck by pulling her beak out from the floor. Then Dorothy picked up the something metal that made the hen trip. It was a key, a gold key with two letters O and Z imprinted together on the top of the key.

Dorothy studied the letters on the key carefully. "O…..Z…..Oz." Dorothy looked up and saw a hole in the roof of the barn, its sun's rays shining down on the spot where the key was. It looked as if something crashed through the roof and fell into the barn. Dorothy thought back to the shooting star she had seen last night.

_This key must have come from Oz! _Dorothy thought. _My friends must've sent it to me by that shooting star!_

Excitedly, Dorothy dashed out of the barn and through the back door where her uncle sat at the table eating a piece of toast and her aunt holding a frying pan over the stove to cook the eggs.

"Aunt Em, look! Look! It's a key from Oz!" exclaimed Dorothy, showing her aunt the key she had found.

"It's just a key to the old shed," Em said, taking only one glance at the key and continued back to her cooking.

"No Aunt Em, look! Its proof! Look! O and Z! They mean Oz! My friends sent it to me on a shooting star I saw last night! Billina found it for me when I was searching through the barn for her eggs!"

"Dorothy, enough!" Uncle Henry said, sternly, standing up from his chair. "You've got to stop this Oz nonsense one and for all!"

"It's not nonsense, Uncle Henry, its real!" retorted Dorothy. "If you were caught in the twister with me and Toto years ago…"

"All right! Calm down, both of you!" Aunt Em announced, raising a hand a Henry to silence him and gave him a look to assure him that she will handle this. Henry sighed and sat back down in his chair.

Aunt Em turned to face Dorothy. "Now, what did we talk about?"

Dorothy frowned and answered, "Not to talk about Oz?"

"And why is that?"

"Cause it's just a figment of my imagination." Dorothy turned away in disappointment, sighing heavily.

"I know you don't want to go to the doctor's office, Dorothy," said Aunt Em, "but you haven't fallen asleep for months and your no help to me in the morning."

"But Aunt Em, my friends might be in trouble," complained Dorothy, "I just know it."

"_We _are in trouble, Dorothy," Aunt Em responded. "Paying the money for your visit to the doctor has taken away most of the money we were saving for your college fund."

"I could always find a job to earn some money," Dorothy suggested.

"True, but you still need an education," stated Aunt Em. "The doctor will help you get rid of those awful dreams and you won't have to worry about this Oz business ever again. Now why don't you eat something before we leave?"

Em handed out a plate of fried eggs with jam covered toast for Dorothy to take. But Dorothy refused to take the plate and her expression turned into a glare.

"I think I've lost my appetite," she said, coldly, before shouting angrily. "Thinking about Oz helps clear away the fears, concerns, and depressions I get! Even if you think sending me to a doctor will solve your problems, I still won't forget the friends that are dear to me in Oz!"

The farm girl raced out of the kitchen through the back door, ignoring her aunt and uncle's calls. Dorothy ran out of the farm yard and up to the spot on the hilltop that overlooked the entire town below. She plopped down on the soft grass and began to cry.

**(Dorothy)**

**If only I knew how**

**I'd fix all this**

**Turn it back around**

**But how can one simple girl**

**Try to change the**

**Turning of my world**

Poor Dorothy couldn't bear the thought of forgetting all the people dear to her in Oz. She had shared so many adventures with them and she loved them as much as they loved her. But if whatever treatment the doctor gave her would make her forget all about them, Dorothy didn't want to think about it.

**Nobody knows where my world's gonna fly**

**But I still gotta give it a try**

**When my world turns upside down**

**It happens every night**

**I'll close my eyes and won't let go**

**I'm on my way**

**I'm all alone**

Dorothy looked up into the clouds and saw silhouettes of the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Lion, Wiser, Marshal Mallow, China Princess, Glinda, and Tugg in the sky. She even saw herself as the twelve year old she once was, joining the group and dancing headlong among the clouds.

**If only I knew **

**How to fix it all I would**

**If only one heart**

**All alone did any good**

**But I'm just so small**

**What can I do at all?**

**Now that my world has turned upside down**

**Turned upside down**

"Dorothy! Where are you? It's time to go!"

Dorothy heard her aunt calling and sighed. "It looks like I'm never going back to Oz again."

Half an hour later, Toto pawed at the window, whining dismally. He watched as a reluctant Dorothy got into the car with Aunt Em.

"Bye, Uncle Henry," Dorothy said, quietly, through the car window.

"You'll be fine," Uncle Henry assured her, "You'll be back here sooner than you know it."

But Dorothy ignored him as Aunt Em started the car engine. The car pulled out from the dusty driveway and up towards the opening of the road.

Toto squeezed through the small opening of the window and jumped down. He chased after the car, barking wildly. The little dog didn't want his mistress to go to the doctor's as much as Dorothy didn't.

Dorothy looked out from the rearview mirror and saw Toto chasing after them. She leaned her head out from the window and shouted, "Go home, Toto! Go home! GO HOME!"

Toto slowed his pace and stopped at the fence, watching the car disappear down the road. He howled in despair, sad to see his mistress leave him. Uncle Henry picked up the little dog and stroked his back. "Don't worry, Toto. Dorothy will be alright."


	2. Escape from a Deadly Shock Therapy

Dark grey clouds were brewing in the sky above as Aunt Em's car pulled up to a lonely building out in Cottonwood Fields. Dorothy thought the place looked kind of creepy from the outside and wondered what it looked like from the inside.

Aunt Em got out of the car, with Dorothy in tow, and pressed a doorbell button on the side of the door. It made a loud buzzing noise. The door opened and a stern-faced woman dressed in a black business suit greeted them.

"Please, come in," said the woman, gesturing them to come inside.

Aunt Em and Dorothy passed through the door and went inside. No sooner they did, a man with a brown beard and dressed in a business suit just like the woman's, entered from a door that lead to the operating room. The man shook hands with Em as he greeted her.

"Good morning, Mrs. Gale," said the man. Then he looked over at Dorothy and smiled. "And you must be Dottie."

"Dorothy." Aunt Em corrected.

"Ah, Dorothy. Yes of course." The man chuckled, and then he looked over at the woman dressed in black. "This is Nurse Wilson, and I am Dr. Worley." The doctor looked at his watch. "Now, shall we sit down and you can tell me why you've come all this way and what I can do to make you happy."

Dr. Worley smiled at Dorothy, who tried to put on a friendly smile but it was crooked. _The only thing that can make me happy is being in the Land of Oz. _Dorothy thought to herself.

In the doctor's office, Dr. Worley held the small key Dorothy had found as Dorothy told him all about the people she had met in Oz, while Aunt Em sat on a chair far aside from Dorothy.

"I came to Oz in the twister that nearly destroyed my farm six years ago. My dog Toto and I were trapped inside the house, and thought the house would be ripped to pieces for sure. But the house dropped down on the Wicked Witch of the East, killing her instantly. The Good Witch of the North, Glinda, gave me the Wicked Witch's magic ruby slippers because the Wicked Witch of the West, who was the sister of the witch under the house, wanted to steal them and use them for her own selfish reasons."

"Uh, just which witch are we talking about here?" Dr. Worley asked.

"Glinda is a beautiful and good witch, only bad witches are ugly, like the Wicked Witches of the West and the East," replied Dorothy.

"I see," said the doctor, "Now tell me about these three friends of yours?"

"The first friend I made was the Scarecrow. The crows make fun of him because they call him stupid. So I asked him to join me on my trip to the Emerald City to ask the Wizard for a brain. It was the Scarecrow who organized the rescue to save me from the Wicked Witch, and I told him that I would miss him most of all when I left Oz. Now the Tin Man used to be made of flesh and bone like everyone else, and was born a woodchopper. But when he fell in love with a lovely maiden, her mother bribed the Wicked Witch of the East to transform him into tin because things made of tin or metal don't have hearts and the Tin Man can't love anymore. The Scarecrow and I let him join us on our quest to ask the Wizard for a heart."

"Uh, Dorothy, you mentioned something about a tiger?" questioned Dr. Worley.

"No, a lion. A Cowardly Lion." Dorothy corrected him. "He was born a coward and left alone in the forest. My friends and I allowed him to accompany us to Emerald City to give him courage so he could be King of the Forest."

"And he can talk too, just like the Scarecrow and the Tin Man?"

"Yes. All the animals in Oz can talk, just like Wiser the owl. There are other creatures and living things that can talk, like Marshal Mallow. He's sort of a giant marshmallow who is the second in command of the garrison of Candy County. There's also the Dainty China Country where china porcelain dolls talk and walk, and their leader is the Dainty China Princess. And there's a forest of living trees that talk, where my friends and I made one of them into a boat and named him Tugg after a tugboat."

"Uh, what happened to the Wicked Witch of the West?"

"I melted her. She tried to set the Scarecrow on fire with a burning broomstick and I put out the fire with a bucket of water, and some of it got on her. She melted to nothingness because she was allergic to water. Her broomstick, as Glinda told me, was the source of her power and I gave it to the Wizard for the protection of Oz. But the broomstick was once stolen by the Jester, who is the younger brother of the Wicked Witches. He used it to take over Oz, but I got rid of the broomstick and threw it in a magic twister the Jester created to destroy me. The Jester jumped into the magic twister to go after the broomstick and he vanished."

"And did this Wizard send you home like you asked him to?"

"Well, he wasn't much of a wizard. He turned out to be a phony humbug and a normal human being like us. He used to be a circus magician until he came to Oz in a balloon long ago. The people mistook him for a wizard because his name bore the name of their land, and his tricks convinced them so. But he gave my friends what their hearts' desired but he couldn't take me home because the balloon left without me."

"Just exactly how did you get back from Oz?"

"With the ruby slippers."

"Exactly how do they work?"

"You put them on, tap your heels together three times, and say 'there's no place like home.'"

"Did you use them the second time you visited Oz?"

"No, the second time I went to Oz was being carried by a rainbow created by the Scarecrow's Rainbow Mover that he invented. Glinda sent me home right after I defeated the Jester."

"Dorothy, where are the ruby slippers now?"

Dorothy hesitated before answering. She hadn't really thought about the whereabouts of the ruby slippers in a long time. "I've lost them on the way back."

Dr. Worley stood up from his chair, walked over to Dorothy and handed the key back to her. "Well, I think I know just the thing to cheer Dorothy up." He pulled back a sheet that covered a huge, strange looking, electric machine. "Now this electrical marvel will make it possible for you to sleep again, and it will get rid of all those bad dreams you were telling me about."

Dorothy looked at the machine and felt uneasy. It seemed to have menacing looking face that glared right at her. "Will it hurt?"

"No, no, no, it just manages the flow of electricity," said Dr. Worley. He walked over to Em. "Now the brain itself is an electrical machine. It's absolutely nothing but a machine. When it malfunctions, one blow to the head, for example, then the brain produces useless excess currents…"

As Dorothy gazed at the machine, she noticed the reflection of another girl peering through the window behind Dorothy, who glanced back at the window and saw a very beautiful young girl, about a few years older than Dorothy. Her eyes sparkled like two emeralds and her lips were tinted like a tourmaline. All adown her back floated tresses of ruddy gold, dressed in a simple white gown with long sleeves and dainty silver slippers at her feet. The girl waved at Dorothy and gave her a friendly smile. Dorothy gave a little smile and returned the friendly wave.

"…those electrical currents are our dreams and visions, known as delusions, and wouldn't you know that we have found out that sometimes the brain malfunctions, just like the dreams that you have, Dorothy."

Hearing the doctor say her name, Dorothy quickly turned and looked at him. "Now we have the means to control those excess currents."

"Y-Y-Yes," Dorothy stuttered.

Fine by that," the doctor smiled.

Dorothy looked back at the window and saw that the mysterious beautiful girl had disappeared.

A little later after leaving the doctor's office, Aunt Em hugged Dorothy and kissed her on the forehead. "I must get back home to Henry before nightfall. You be a good girl and do everything the doctor and nurse tell you. Okay?"

Dorothy nodded her head in silence. Then she spoke, "Will you bring Toto when you come get me, Aunt Em?"

"Of course I will, honey." Then Aunt Em handed Dorothy a lunch pail. "You haven't eaten breakfast so I made you lunch."

"That won't be necessary," said Nurse Wilson. "We have excellent meals here."

"Oh, well, I've never let her out of my sight among strangers before," Em stated.

"Your niece is in real good hands, Mrs. Gale, "added Dr. Worley.

Aunt Em gave Dorothy one last embrace before heading out the door. Dorothy sadly watched the door shut just as Nurse Wilson hustled her to the upper levels and down the hall.

The sound metal wheels squeaked as a man dressed in white and with a long nose, pushed a stretcher bed with wheels as he walked past them.

"You won't be needing this," Nurse Wilson said when she took Dorothy's lunch pail and set it on the bed. The man continued to push the stretcher down the hall and Dorothy glared silently at the nurse for taking away her meal.

Nurse Wilson opened one of the bedroom doors and gestured Dorothy to go in. "Now Dorothy, you stay right here until we come get you. You can have a nap if you like," said the sour faced nurse, just before closing the door and locking it.

Dorothy climbed onto the bed and looked out the sanatorium window as her aunt drove away in her car It started to rain as the raindrops spattered among the windowsill and the thick frame window glass.

"I feel like I've been sent to a prison or an asylum," Dorothy sighed as she dropped down on the bed in despair. "If only I were in Oz right now. Oh, Scarecrow, why can't you use the Rainbow Mover to bring me there? Or if I had the ruby slippers, I could transport myself to Oz."

A small scuffling sound reached her ears as Dorothy looked up. There standing by the door was the same beautiful and mysterious blonde girl Dorothy had seen in the window of the doctor's office. The girl was holding a small Jack-o-Lantern pumpkin in her hands.

"Hello. This is for you. It's a gift." The girl said, approaching the farm girl. "It will be Halloween soon."

"Oh, thank you." Dorothy said, taking the pumpkin from her.

"Why did they bring you here, Dorothy?" asked the girl.

"Because I can't sleep…..and I talk about a place that I've been to but nobody believes it exists," answered Dorothy with a sad sigh.

"Would you like to talk about it?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, just like everyone else," Dorothy grumbled, turned away.

"I'm not like everyone else," said the girl, putting her hand under Dorothy's chin to make her look at her. "You can tell me. I believed you when I heard you speak of it."

"But who are you?" Dorothy asked.

There was a distant rumbling outside and distant moaning sounds echoed throughout the room. Loud distant screaming sent shivers down their spines. Then came the sound of wheels squeaking.

The girl sat up from the bed in alarm. "I have to go. I'll come back later for you."

The door handle jiggled as a key could be heard unlocking it. Dorothy looked around and realized that the girl was no longer in the room with her. "Where did she go? Did I imagine her?"

The door opened. Nurse Wilson stood next to the same man with the pointed nose and to a pretty but grumpy-looking nurse maid dressed in white. They both held the both ends of a stretcher bed.

"Would like to go for a ride, Dorothy?" Nurse Wilson asked, trying to sound amused.

Dorothy sighed in slight annoyance, stood up, and walked towards the bed, where the man in white helped her up on the stretcher and the nurse maid tied her down with belt buckles. After tying Dorothy down on the stretcher, the nurse maid and the man in white pushed and pulled the rolling bed down the hall, with Nurse Wilson slowly following them from behind.

"Did I just hear somebody scream earlier?" Dorothy asked, curiously.

"No, it was probably the thunder you heard outside," answered Nurse Wilson.

They entered the cold, dimly-light operating room where Dr. Worley had his electric machine ready. The stretcher was rolled up beside him and the machine as the doctor smiled down at Dorothy.

"Ah, Dorothy. How are you this evening?"

"I wish I wasn't tied down," muttered Dorothy.

Dr. Worley chuckled. "There's nothing to worry about." He picked up two earphones.

"What are those for?" Dorothy asked, nervously.

"Oh, when you're ready, we'll just put them on your head and over your ears, and soon it will draw out all those unpleasant dreams out of your head, then when you wake up, you'll never be bothered by them again. Testing, on…"

Dr. Worley turned on a switch that activated the machine. A strange electric arcing and loud buzzing hummed within the earphones and from the machine. Dorothy didn't like the sound of it. It made her blood run cold.

"Well, I think we're almost ready. Off." The doctor turned off the switch, and both the buzzing and arcing stopped.

Nurse Wilson placed the earphones over Dorothy's head and on her ears. Dorothy could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She knew she would never think of Oz again the second the electric shock would enter her brain. She knew for a fact that the Rainbow Mover could not save her in time.

"Ready?" Dr. Worley asked, looking over at the stern-faced nurse.

"Yes, Dr. Worley," replied Nurse Wilson, nodding.

Dorothy closed her eyes, waiting for the shock to come. Her eyes welled up in fluids as she thought about her Ozian friends for the last time. _Goodbye Oz._

Just as Dr. Worley was about to turn the switch, there was a loud boom and a flash of lightning from the window. Electricity crackled as the lights flickered and soon, the room went dark.

"Good grief," muttered Dr. Worley. "The power's gone out."

"I'll see to that. You check the generator," said Nurse Wilson.

Everyone left the operating room, shutting the door and leaving Dorothy all alone in the dark room. Dorothy struggled to get loose but she was strapped tightly down on the stretcher that she couldn't free herself. She heard more distant screaming and another booming sound of the thunderstorm outside.

Suddenly, the earphones were removed from her ears, startled Dorothy. "Who's there?"

"Shh! It's me."

Dorothy looked up. Even if it was dark, she could make out the face and voice of the lovely blonde girl. Dorothy smiled, glad that the girl was here and had kept her word to come back and rescue her.

"Quick! I have to get you out of here!" The girl said as she worked quickly to unstrap Dorothy from the stretcher. "I managed to cut the wires of the generator so you wouldn't be damaged."

"Damaged, what are you talking about?" Dorothy asked, confused.

"You remember that screaming we heard? There are patients that have been damaged by Worley's treatment and locked in the cellar." The girl explained as she unstrapped the last belt buckle.

Dorothy gaped at the girl in shock. Had this girl never cut the power than she too would've fallen victim to treatment.

"Quick! Let's go!"

The girl gripped Dorothy's wrist and dragged her out into the hallway. Thunder cracked as both girls dashed through the hall. They heard men's voices and the girls hid themselves behind white sheets as several men walked by with flashlights. Once the heavy footsteps had died down, the two girls left their hiding places.

But as soon as they reached the bottom of the staircase, a door opened and Nurse Wilson spotted them, aiming the flashlight at them.

"SO!"

"Run, Dorothy!" The girl shouted, as both she and Dorothy ran past the enraged nurse, and out the back door and into the stormy night.

It was pouring rain real hard, and the wind and rain blew in their faces, but it didn't stop the girls as they raced into the darkened woods. Dorothy looked back to see lights following them and voices calling out.

"STOP! COME BACK HERE!" Nurse Wilson shouted as she and a few of the men in white pursued them.

The two girls screamed as they slipped on the wet muddy dip, and the blonde girl fell into a raging river. The girl managed to grab hold of a branch. "Dorothy, help!"

"I'll save you!" Dorothy yelled, as she carefully edged her way to branch, reaching a hand out to try and rescue her friend.

Nurse Wilson climbed down the river bank after them and reached out to grab Dorothy. Dorothy saw her and screamed. The nurse almost looked menacing to her even in the storm. Without even thinking, Dorothy leaped into the river.

The minute Dorothy did this, the tree branch broke loose and the blonde girl, along with Dorothy, were swept away by the strong current. Nurse Wilson looked on in shock as Dorothy and the blonde girl disappeared underwater.

Then, Dorothy emerged from the cold raging water and swan quickly to a nearby wooden crate. Pulling off two slates, Dorothy climbed inside and collapsed on the wooden floor, exhausted. The river's current carried the floating crate far, far away from shore, with Dorothy inside.

The moon shone high over the calm, serene ocean as the storm died down, and the stars twinkled merrily. And for the first time in months, Dorothy had fallen asleep. Little did she know that this little adventure of hers had just begun.


	3. Back in Oz

When Dorothy awoke the next morning, the sun was shining brightly over her slender form. Her hair and clothes had dried, and the crate rocked gently from the movement of the waves.

The clucking of a hen woke Dorothy from her slumber. "What's that?"

"Oh, I was just trying to lay my egg, that's all." Answered a shrill feminine voice.

Dorothy pushed herself up into sitting position and saw Billina sitting in the corner edge of what she realized was a chicken coop. "Billina? What are you doing here? Have you been here all night too?" she asked in surprise.

"Yep! Right after your aunt found out I couldn't lay any more eggs, she decided to have me shipped to the butcher's shop. When the storm blew over, the car crashed into a ditch and the coop fell into the river, including me." Billina explained. Then she sneezed. "Ah-choo! I have never been so wet in my life."

Dorothy stroked Billina tenderly from the neck to the back. "It's alright now, Billina. We're safe as long as we stick together. But, when did you learn to talk? I thought chickens can only cluck."

"I've never spoken before in my life, but how's my grammar?" asked the hen.

"Very well for a beginner," replied Dorothy.

"How big is this pond anyway?"

"What do you mean pond? I thought we were in the ocean." Dorothy stood up and peered over the edge of the coop. Sure enough, the coop was in the middle of a small pond, surrounded by boulders stuck within sand. And nearby was a field of grass and trees. "It does look like a pond."

"I told you so," remarked Billina, before noticing something else. "Hey! Where did all the water go?"

The water beneath the coop began to vanish within the sand.

"You know, Billina, if we were in the Land of Oz, then you wouldn't be able to talk," Dorothy said.

"Perhaps that's where we are," said Billina, hopefully.

Dorothy's eyes widened in sudden realization. "Oz…..Maybe this _is_ the Land of Oz!"

"Well, I think I'll go look around and see if I can find any breakfast." The chicken prepared to jump out of the coop when Dorothy suddenly wrapped her arms around her, pulling her close to her chest.

"Wait, Billina! If this is Oz, then _this_ is the Deadly Desert," she said, warily.

"Deadly Desert?" Billina gulped, nervously.

"Yeah," said Dorothy. "It surrounds all of Oz. Anything living that touches it turns to sand. Twice, I flew over it in a twister and a rainbow."

With Billina in her arms, Dorothy climbed over the railing of the chicken coop and landed on one of the boulders. One by one, Dorothy hopped from one boulder to the next, careful not to slip and fall. Finally, she hopped off the boulder and her feet touched the soft grass that meant they were safe.

"Whew! At least we made it," sighed Billina, as Dorothy put her down.

"C'mon Billina, let's go see if we can find some breakfast, and then we can go to the Emerald City to see my friend, the Scarecrow."

"Scarecrow?" Billina looked up at her, puzzled.

"He's the King of Oz, and one of my best friends," Dorothy smiled. "There's also the Tin Man, the Lion, Wiser, Marshal Mallow, China Princess, Tugg, and Glinda. Once you meet them all you're sure to like them."

As they walked further on down the grassy lane, Dorothy's eyes gazed at the lovely scenery before her. Beautiful blue and pink flowers bloomed everywhere, the air smelled fresh and clean, some of trees bore rich and delicious fruits, and mountains went far out in the distance. But one these trees bore something that drew Dorothy towards it. Red lunch pails dangled from the branches and the leaves were all green napkins.

"Look, Billina! It's a lunch pail tree!" exclaimed Dorothy. "Now I _know_ we're in Oz."

"Whatever happened to breakfast?" Billina questioned.

"It doesn't matter," grinned Dorothy. "When one is hungry, one must eat."

"Now make sure you don't pick a green one," warned Billina.

Since she was now tall enough to reach for something that was high up, Dorothy stood on her tip toes and picked one lunch pail, and then picked another lunch pail. "Here are some ripe ones. One for now, and one for later."

Dorothy sat down underneath the tree's shade, put one lunch pail down to the side, and put the other in her lap. "Come share my lunch with me, Billina."

"As long as there's no fried chicken inside," said Billina.

Dorothy took the lid off and found some delicious good things to eat. She gasped in amazement. "Oh, look! A ham sandwich, a pickle, a slice of cheese, an apple, a piece of chocolate cake, and a thermos filled with orange juice are in here."

"I'll eat some of the cake and bread crumbs if you like," said Billina.

Dorothy giggled, taking bits of bread off her sandwich and scattered it on the ground for Billina to eat. Then Dorothy placed the cheese and pickle in her ham sandwich, and took a bite.

"Hmm-Mm. This is really good. Oh, Billina, we're back in Oz for good." Dorothy sighed, happily. "Now I can show you all the people and places that nobody believes in."

But little did they know that they were being watched. A demonic looking face carved in a boulder had been watching them from a short distance. He had listened to their conversation and realized who they were, he vanished from the upper ground, going deep underground, to report to his master.

"Your Majesty, _she_ has returned to Oz," said the rock minion, in a low, raspy voice.

"Good. What do we have to fear of a little girl?" answered a deep, rumbling voice.

"Uh, she is not a little girl anymore," said the minion, "she has grown up."

"I see," said the voice, "just keep an eye on her." But the rock minion hesitated. "Well, what's the matter? What is it?"

"She has – a chicken with her!" replied the rock minion.

"A CHICKEN?!" The voice shook the caverns like thunder and it frightened the rock minion greatly.

-0o0o0-

A pair of bright blue eyes fluttered open and was met with nothing but stone walls and floors. The Scarecrow, King of Oz, shot upward and tried to move forward. But he discovered in vain that his wrists were synched tight in shackles and the chains were attached to the wall behind him.

"Gadzooks! What happened to me? How did I end up in here?" cried the Scarecrow. "The last thing I remember is being in the Wizard's chamber, the guys and I were preparing to ask Glinda to send an invitation to Dorothy to attend Marshal Mallow and China Princess' wedding, the floor yawning opening before us and lots of stone monsters crawling out. Then those monsters stole all the emeralds, kidnapped Glinda and…..Oh yeah! I used her wand to send the key to Dorothy's world so she could find Tiktok and.….something covered my eyes and…..I guess the next thing I know I'm in here, all alone." He sighed heavily. "I wonder what to Tin Man, Lion, Glinda, Wiser, Tiktok, and everybody else."

"Talking to yourself is a sign of insanity. Your new brain must be malfunctioning."

The Scarecrow's eyes searched the dungeon room for the deep, rumbling voice he had heard. "Who said that? Who are you?"

"I am the true King of Oz, and you are my prisoner," said the voice.

"But _I'm_ the King of Oz around here! The Wizard put me in charge when he left Oz! You're just a kidnapper and an imposter!" shouted the Scarecrow, angrily.

"We shall soon see," purred the voice. "By the way, an old friend of yours has returned to Oz and is looking for you."

"What friend!?" The Scarecrow asked, still shouting. But the voice didn't respond. The Scarecrow thought about what the voice had said and when his brain finally clicked to who he was referring to, panic filtered his straw head. "Oh, no! Dorothy!" Scarecrow gasped. "If she does come back to Oz, who knows what kind of danger she'll run into! Oh, how do I get out of here? I've got to protect her!"

A ghostly mist of green light appeared before him, taking the shape of a girl, as it approached him. The Scarecrow backed up against the wall, thinking it must be some sort of torture sent to him by his captor.

But the ghostly shape placed an object down on floor by his feet. "This mirror will help you keep an eye on Dorothy throughout her journey." Her voice was soft and gentle, with a hint of elegance.

"But how do I know I can trust you with this mirror?" The Scarecrow asked, dubiously.

But the ghostly shape grew fuzzy and she disappeared from the dungeon.

With a shrug, the Scarecrow picked up the mirror by the handle and looked into its reflection. "Show me Dorothy Gale."

The oval glass shape began to ripple and glow, and the image of a beautiful girl appeared, walking through a grassy meadow, carrying the second lunch pail in her hand, and with a chicken trotting at her feet. Though she looked different than she had in her childhood, the straw man king recognized her instantly.

"Dorothy…"

The Scarecrow was beside himself, as he stared at her like he was almost possessed. She definitely looked older and mature now, and ever so beautiful.

"Gosh, kiddo. You've grown up over the years." The Scarecrow breathed in silent wonder. "You're quite a beauty now, aren't you?"

-0o0o0-

After a few miles of walking, Dorothy and Billina came to a sign that read 'Welcome to Munchkinland.' Dorothy eagerly rushed through the fields and entered the little Munchkin village. Surprisingly, there was nobody around, which struck Dorothy as odd.

"Huh? Where is everybody?" Dorothy wondered aloud. "Where are all the Munchkins?"

"This place looks like a ghost town," clucked Billina.

Up ahead, Dorothy spotted her old farm house that had landed in the middle of the village long ago. Dorothy ran up to it, Billina followed.

"Look, Billina! This is our old farm house," said Dorothy. "The one that the twister blew away years ago. That's how I got to Oz in the first place."

"Sounds like it was a rough trip," said Billina.

"See that spot down there?" Dorothy asked, pointed to the beam of the house. "That's where I landed on the Wicked Witch of the East."

"Wicked Witch?" The chicken mumbled in mild surprise.

"And here's where all the Munchkins were celebrating her demise and called me a hero. And this spot is where I was greeted by Glinda the Good Witch of the North, confronted by the Wicked Witch of the West."

"Which witch are you going on about?"

"Glinda is a good and beautiful witch. Only bad witches are ugly like the wicked sisters of the east and west…"

Dorothy's heart froze when she saw the yellow brick road. The once golden path was all torn up. The bricks had faded to a dull yellow color, and weeds had grown between the bricks that remained in place while the rest of them were askew or broken.

"Oh, no…" Dorothy picked up a broken yellow brick in shock.

"What? It's just a yellow brick," shrugged Billina.

"No, Billina. You don't understand!" Dorothy gasped through the verge of tears. "This _was_ the Yellow Brick Road! It leads to the Emerald City!"

Panic and worry filled her heart as Dorothy made a dash for it down the broken and uneven yellow brick road.

"Dorothy, wait for me!" Billina clucked and flapped wildly to try and keep up with her.

'_What's happened here? What's happened to everyone?' _These thoughts raced through Dorothy's mind. _'I hope nothing bad has happened to my friends! Please let everyone be alright!'_

-0o0o0-

"No, Dorothy! Don't go to the Emerald City! It could be a trap or an ambush waiting for you!" The Scarecrow watched with worry as he stared through the mirror. "But if you do find Tiktok, I do hope he can protect you."

Meanwhile, the rock minion had returned to the underground, after having watched Dorothy and Billina leave Munchkinland.

"Your Majesty, they have discovered the Yellow Brick Road and have taken the path that would lead them to the Gillikin Country."

"Good," chuckled the voice. "They won't get past Mombi."

-0o0o0-

Dorothy had tripped over a loose brick in her rush to get to the Emerald City, and tumbled down a steep hill, landing on a patch of old dried up grass. Billina clucked and fluttered down the hill to get to Dorothy.

"Are you alright, Dorothy?" Billina asked, worriedly.

Dorothy sat upward, groaning. "Ugh. I think so."

"Well, don't rush out on me like that again!" scolded the hen.

Then they noticed their surroundings and they didn't like it one bit. It was a dark and creepy forest, with trees that seemed to have ghost-like faces. An owl hooted from within one of the trees and buzzards screeching from high above.

"Eesh! It's spooky down here," shuddered Billina, huddling close to Dorothy.

"Billina, look. Golden berries." Dorothy pointed to a bush filled with beautiful gold berries.

As Dorothy curiously reached out to grab one of gold berries, the leaves parted and the face of a Jack-o-Lantern gave Dorothy and Billina a fright. The Jack-o-Lantern put a finger to his lips to silence them severely.

"Oh my gosh! Y-Y-Your alive!" Dorothy stuttered.

"Yeah, but I don't know how long I will be," said the Jack-o-Lantern, coming out from bush. He looked quite as tall as the Scarecrow and the Tin Man, and a couple inches taller than the teenage Dorothy. His head was a pumpkin carved with a jack-o-lantern's face that moved its mouth and eyes whenever he spoke or blinked. The pumpkin headed man was dressed in a long sleeved cream white shirt, a dark green vest with gold buttons, a light green scarf wrapped around his wooden neck, brown-gray pants with a brown belt wrapped tightly around the waist, and old brown worn out shoes attached to his feet. His hands were made of wood and his entire body was made entirely out of stick and wood underneath his clothing.

Billina clucked loudly. "What's the idea scaring us to death like that? It's not Halloween yet! What are you anyway? A man or a melon?"

"A pumpkin, if you please, now hush up!" hissed the pumpkin headed man.

"Hush yourself!" huffed Billina.

"Please don't start a fight here. Let's be polite and introduce ourselves." The farm girl stuck her hand out for the pumpkinhead to take. "How do you do? My name is Dorothy Gale, and this is chicken Billina."

Looking at her hand and up at her friendly pretty features, the pumpkinhead took hold of her hand and shook it gently. "Hello, Dorothy. My name is Jack Pumpkinhead. You're just as pretty as my mother."

Jack blushed from the compliment he had given to Dorothy and she giggled. "Thank you."

"Since when did you have a mother?" asked Billina, rudely.

Jack stiffened at the hen. "Oh, please make her hush, Dorothy! She'll hear her. She'll come here and find me, and turn me into pumpkin pie!"

"Who will find you? Who are you talking about?" asked Dorothy.

"Mombi, who else!" answered Jack.

Dorothy looked at Jack in confusion. "Who's Mombi? Your mother?"

"What? No way! She's way too ugly to be my – wait, you mean to say you never heard of Mombi!? The most wicked witch in Oz!? Why do you come from anyway?"

"Well, Billina and I come from Kansas."

"And you never heard of Mombi there?" Jack asked. "Don't you have witches in Kansas?"

"Not officially," Dorothy replied.

"Except for Miss Gulch," Billina muttered under her breath.

"No witches, eh? Your lucky. It must be very far away from here." Jack said in amazement.

"Oh, yes. Very far from here, even by twister." Dorothy sighed, then she asked, "But why is Mombi after you? What did you do?"

"It's more like what I didn't do," said Jack. "I'm her slave, like my mother before me."

"Who is your mother?" Dorothy questioned.

Jack told her his backstory, rather sadly. "She's a girl who's just as pretty as you. My mom built me to give Mombi a good scare. She waited until I was ripe than stole me from the field from where I've grown as a seed. Took me home and carved a face on me, and made me arms, legs, and a body out of wood. She even gave me a nice taste in clothes. Then mom put me in a place where Mombi would meet me face to warty face. She came, and sure enough, she _was_ terrified, but then she was angry. Mombi was about to destroy me with her broomstick, but then she decided to test out some of her new Power of Life she had brought from a crooked sorcerer in the mountains. She did, and it worked, so here I am."

"What is this power of life?" asked Dorothy.

"You sprinkle it on something and the object comes to life," explained Jack.

"What happened to your mother?" Billina asked.

Jack lowered his head in sorrow with downcast eyes. "She vanished. I think Mombi enchanted her. Right after that, I never saw my mom again, and Mombi made me her slave." He shuddered his wooden body at the memories of working for the old witch. "And I hate my job, I hate being a witch's helper! I don't mind stirring the magic potions or sweeping the floor with her broomstick, except for that other _special_ broomstick she always keeps to her side. But when it comes to feeding the spiders, washing the toads, picking up after her crow – YUCK!"

"Ew! That's so disgusting!" Dorothy scowled in disgust.

"I don't think I wanna hear any more!" grumbled Billina.

Jack continued on, looking more and more scared. "And she's getting more and more of other nasty things because she's cooking up a very wicked potion for a very evil deed, which takes plenty of spiders and toads. This morning she brought in a dozen of those things and tried to force me to help her with her evil deed. I couldn't take it anymore! I ran away and hid myself here! If she finds me, she'll destroy me!"

The pumpkinheaded man began to sob. Billina rolled her eyes heavenward in annoyance. But Dorothy pitied on the poor pumpkinhead as she took hold of both of his wooden hands into her own.

"There, there, Jack. Don't cry," she said in a tone that a mother would use to calm a crying child. "I don't blame you a bit with your troubles. I won't let her find you, I promise."

"Oh, that's so kind of you. Very kind of you, Dorothy." Jack smiled, his crying now stopped.

"From what you've told me I'm beginning to think that this Mombi is responsible for what's happened to the Yellow Brick Road, and I fear she might've done something to the Emerald City and I fear that my friends are in trouble." Dorothy pondered a moment before she spoke to the pumpkinhead again. "Why don't you just come with me to the Emerald City? We can find my friends the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion. I'm sure they will protect you from Mombi. They don't like witches either."

Suddenly, a black cat pounced on Billina, who, in sheer panic, clucked and cackled in fear as she flapped her wings crazily and took off. The black cat followed her in hot pursuit, determined to make a meal out of the chicken.

"Billina, come back!" Dorothy yelled, chasing after the cat and the chicken.

Jack glanced in the direction Dorothy was heading for and fear filtered into his pumpkin head. "NO! No, don't follow him! That's Mombi's cat!" Jack called out, nearly tripping on his own legs and managed to get back up on his feet again to chase after Dorothy. "NO, STOP!"

-0o0o0-

Even from his prison, the Scarecrow became worried for Dorothy's safety as he watched her go toward Mombi's cottage. "Dorothy, stay away from that place! Mombi will kill you!"


	4. Mombi the Wicked Witch

The witch's cottage door was open when Dorothy arrived. She found Billinia cornered by the black cat in the dusty corner of the cottage. Dorothy immediately rushed in between them, picking up a nearby broomstick and waved it in front of the cat.

"Shoo! Go away! Leave my chicken alone!"

The black cat hissed at her, but he turned his back, with tail up, and walked away.

"Are you alright, Billina? It didn't hurt you, did it?" Dorothy asked, worried.

"No, you got here just in time," panted Billina. "Oh, thank you, Dorothy. I thought I'd become a chicken dinner for sure."

Dorothy smiled. Then she looked at the broomstick that she held. "This broomstick looks very familiar."

"That's because it's a witch's broomstick, my dear," stated Billina. "You've seen the Wicked Witches of the East and West use them."

"No, Billina. I mean, I think I've seen this broomstick before."

"Caw, caw! Hey! Want the tour of the witch's cottage?"

Startled, Dorothy and Billina turned around, and saw a black crow perched on an old skull's head on the table.

"Oh! You can talk!" Dorothy gasped in surprise.

"Yeah, I can speak. Mombi taught me," said the crow. "Whatcha' doing here, hot stuff?"

"I just came to get my chicken and…" Dorothy started before the crow cut her off.

"I was talking to the lady chicken. What's up, hot stuff?" He clicked his tongue at Billina, giving her a flirty smile.

"I was chased by that gruesome cat," huffed Billina, immediately disgusted with the crow hitting on her. "And don't call me hot stuff! Ugh, first the rooster and now a crow."

A violent scratching noise rattled at the basement door in the very room Dorothy was in. She looked over at the wooden doors that lead to the basement. The scratching noises reminded her of how Toto would scratch the door to be let inside the farm house, but it was almost like sharp metal being dragged against the floor.

"What's that?" Dorothy gasped.

"Relax, they're just Mombi's new helpers. They don't do much," chuckled the crow. Then he asked in a sly voice, "You want to take a peak?"

Dorothy looked at the basement door, warily and nervously.

"Don't open it, Dorothy," warned Billina. "It could be a trap."

"No, it isn't. Go ahead! Take a look. Open the door. Don't be afraid," encouraged the crow.

So Dorothy unlocked the basement door with a key she found on the table and opened the door, halfway so she could peak inside.

Suddenly, long, hairy, clawed arms reached out from the darkness, screeching wildly and howling menacingly. There was something about the screeching and the howling that sounded familiar to Dorothy, like she had heard it before. One of the arms caught hold of Billina by the neck and tried to drag back into the darkness. But Dorothy grabbed the chicken shouting, "Oh, let go! Let go!" Using the broomstick, Dorothy whacked the hairy arms back into the darkness, slamming the basement door and locking it, and dropped the broomstick to the floor with a clatter.

"Oh, my goodness. That was close." Billina panted in shock. "I told you not to open the door, Dorothy. What were those things anyway?"

"They sounded like monkeys. Could it be those flying monkeys again?" Dorothy wondered aloud.

"Not monkeys, kiddo," the crow cackled, rudely. "They sound bigger and more lethal, but they're not quite ready for the action they're about to get. As soon as Mombi comes back, you'll see what she's about to do to them."

"Forget it! I've seen enough!" declared Dorothy, scowling at the crow. "This is a horrid place, just like Jack said! C'mon Billina, we're leaving!"

With the chicken in her arms, Dorothy turned and headed for the door, but she froze in her tracks when someone came to the door, and the crow cawed excitedly when he knew who that person was.

"What's your hurry, my dear? Stay and chat awhile," said the witch called Mombi. Dorothy remembered Glinda telling her that only bad witches were ugly, yet Mombi seemed more uglier than the late Wicked Witch of the West. She dressed in a black robe and dress with a black pointed hat, had short messy red hair, and a face with a long nose and chin, covered in warts, and long boney hands also covered in warts.

"I-I'd like to, but I really can't s-stay," Dorothy gaped as she felt her blood run cold, once again feeling that old childhood fear of being confronted by a wicked old witch.

"It isn't often that I receive company," the witch said, coming into the cottage and approaching Dorothy.

"This isn't really a visit, I just came to get my…"

"You must be hungry, my dear. Let me get you something to eat."

"N-No, thank you. I already ate from a l-lunch pail t-tree," Dorothy stuttered, moving back into the room, clutching Billina tightly in her arms.

"Something for your chicken then? Bird feed, perhaps?" Mombi said, reaching a warty hand to grab Billina, when the hen pecked her furiously on her the finger. "Ouch!" Mombi drew her hand back.

"Billina, stop that!" Dorothy scolded. "You wanna get us into trouble? I'm just glad Toto isn't here, or he would have snapped…"

Mombi's eyes widened when she heard the dog's name. "Toto!?" She thought for a moment on the recognition of the name. "If you have a Toto…" She glanced up at Dorothy, almost in bewilderment. "…then _you_ must be Dorothy Gale!"

"Y-Yes, I am," replied Dorothy.

"How perfect!" Mombi clasped her hands together, pleasantly. "Now you must stay. I insist!"

"Thank you, but…" Dorothy tried to leave, but Mombi forcefully shoved her back into a nicely carved chair.

"SIT DOWN!"

The chair suddenly came to life as its yellow eyes glared down on the young girl as its strong arms caught hold of her arms.

"I keep my strong arm chair for special guests, and _you_ are a very _special_ guest, Dorothy," Mombi grinned evilly.

"Let her go, you old crone!" Billina clucked angrily, fluttered off of Dorothy's lap and right into Mombi's face, pecking at her. Mombi grabbed the hen by the neck and stuffed her in an old kettle over the fireplace.

Then Mombi found the broomstick lying on the floor and picked it up. "So, you were trying to steal my broomstick, huh?"

"What? No!" cried Dorothy. "I only used it to…"

"I know a rat when I see one," sneered the witch. "Can't have you stealing it again now, can we?"

"What do you mean again?" Dorothy asked, utterly confused.

Then something can back to Dorothy. A memory. The Jester had stolen the broomstick that belonged to his late sister and used it to take over all of Oz. The very broomstick that Glinda entrusted to Dorothy years ago after destroying the Wicked Witch of the West.

"The Wicked Witch of the West's broomstick!" Dorothy gasped.

"Bingo! We have a winner," said Mombi, sarcastically.

"Where did you find it? I threw it into a twister!"

"Oh, it just fell out of the sky one day six years ago. I knew what kind of broomstick it was the minute I found it. Therefore, I have you to thank for delivering it to me."

Dorothy glared at the wicked witch, who gave her an evil smirk. "You used the broomstick to destroy the Yellow Brick Road, didn't you!?"

"Exactly," Mombi chuckled, cruelly. "And as for your friends, I'm afraid they're in _grave_ danger."

"How would you know?"

"Because _I_ put them in danger, or rather, the nomes did. If I recall correctly, you have lots of friends who are in danger. Too bad you didn't return to Oz to save them in time. Some friend you are to them."

It was a rather nasty shock for Dorothy to take it all in. All the friends who loved and cared for her were in trouble. She could feel the tears burn in her eyes. "How could you do that to them!? They haven't done anything to you! Why!?"

"It's all part of my revenge, Dorothy," replied Mombi. "You've killed some people whom were very close to me."

Dorothy raised a confused eyebrow. "What?"

"I'll give you some hints." Mombi said, as she went through an old chest searching for something until she found a photograph. "You are famously known for slaying evil, right? You like to bring the house down on them, or give them a real splash, or have them blown away?"

The witch moved her hand to the top of the photograph so Dorothy could get a good look at the people in the picture. Dorothy felt her heart stop when she recognized the first two persons she recognized in the photo. The Wicked Witch of the West and the Jester. The Jester had put two fingers up behind the Witch's head as the Witch gave him a look of annoyance. The third person in the photograph looked like a witch, dressed in a mixture of red and silver with a black pointed hat, striped stockings down on her feet with the ruby slippers, while she flashed a smile with teeth as sharp as knives. Dorothy realized that this must be the Wicked Witch of the East when she recognized those striped stockings and magic slippers. Mombi was in the photograph too, all four of trying to pose for their picture to be taken.

"That's right, dearie," announced Mombi, pointing an accusing finger at Dorothy. "They are all my cousins, and you killed them!"

"But the first two were accidents!" pleaded Dorothy. "And the Jester jumped into the twister to go after the broomstick!"

"Oh, really?" Mombi smirked, dubiously. "You know, during all those wretched years following my cousins' deaths, I've been wanting to meet you ever since your last visit to Oz, when you destroyed the Jester and helped that miserable Scarecrow to steal the throne of Oz."

"The Scarecrow is not mis-"

"He will be, when the Nome King gets through with him! Things have changed, my dear. But if you had come back sooner, you could've saved that straw head and all your friends!"

The loud screeches and howls erupted from the closed doors of the basement, shaking violently and claws scratching among the wood. Using the broomstick, Mombi swing the broom onto the door with a loud bang. This made the creatures hiding in the basement suddenly go quiet. "You'll have to excuse my new pets, dearie. They get cranky when left alone in the basement for too long. But as soon as my brew is complete…"

"W-What's in there?" Dorothy asked, scared.

"Baboons, my dear," answered Mombi. "I plan to transform them into Flying Baboons. The Flying Monkeys want to keep to themselves and they are useless to me. These baboons are much larger, stronger, and lethal than the monkeys, and will become quite useful to me when I seize control of the rest of land."

Dorothy felt a chill run down her spine as she thought about how terrible these flying baboons must be. She thought about the Scarecrow and couldn't bear to think of the kind of trouble he could be in.

Mombi seemed to know what she was thinking. "And as for your straw man king, when the Nome King is done with him…..there won't be enough of him left to stuff a mattress!"

Dorothy glared daggers at the wicked witch, and lashed out at her, furiously. "How could you think of hurting Scarecrow!? He's the kindest, gentlest, and smartest creature in the world! And I don't know who this Nome King person is, but if he lays one hand on Scarecrow, I will destroy him, on purpose!"

Mombi cackled, amused by the girl's temper. "Oooh. Feeling a little brave now, are we? Shame you won't ever see him again, my pretty. Because I have a special demise planned for you. And as for the chicken, perhaps I'll roast her up for dinner tonight." Looking down at the fireplace, she could see that there was no firing burning. "But first, I need some firewood to get my plan started." Mombi cupped her hands to her mouth as she yelled, "JACK! JACK PUMPKINHEAD! WHERE ARE YOU!?" No answer from the pumpkinheaded man. "Ugh! Where is that lazy louche? I'll fix him too if he doesn't obey me!" Mombi grumbled, while heading out the door. "I'll be right back with a nice load of firewood. Coming, my pet?"

The crow cawed loudly in response as he flew out the door following his mistress.

Dorothy struggled desperately in vain to free herself from the armchair's strong arms, but they held her down firmly and tightly to the seat. Giving up, Dorothy sighed in despair. "Looks like I'll never see Scarecrow again. Oh, why do I get myself into these predicaments?"

"Psst!"

Dorothy gasped and looked over to the open window. "Jack!"

Jack Pumpkinhead put a finger to his lips and he climbed inside through the window. He picked up an old black feather and used it to tickle the armchair's nose.

The armchair let out a loud sneeze. "AH-CHOO!" And it fell backwards onto the stone floor.

Dorothy had fallen to the floor with the armchair, but she was free. Jack helped her stand up, then she opened the lid of the kettle and grabbed Billina. Jack climbed back out through the open window and Billina fluttered out, but Dorothy remembered the magic broomstick and attempted to get it so Mombi wouldn't use it anymore.

But when Mombi's shadow loomed up on the door, Dorothy had no choice but to leave without the broomstick, as she would be caught and captured again. She turned back to the window and tried to climb through. Luckily, Jack pulled her through the window just in the nick of time.

"All right, my pretty! You'll be finished soon!" But when Mombi placed the pile of wood down on the floor, she froze when she saw the empty armchair lying on the floor. "What!? She's gone! But how?"

"That pumpkinhead did it!" the crow stated, pointing to the open window.

"That ungrateful squash!" Mombi growled. Then she picked up her cousin's broomstick. "At least they didn't take this broomstick with them. They won't get far as soon as I get them."

The broomstick flew right out from the cottage through the open door, with Mombi riding on it. She scoured through the forest searching for the escapees.

Below on ground, Dorothy, Jack, and Billina ran as fast as they could to get away from the pursuing witch. Jack's long legs made him look clumsy whenever he ran, but he still kept his pace as he kept his grip on Dorothy's wrist to get her as far away from Mombi as possible. Dorothy held Billina tightly in her arms as the chicken squawked in terror.

The shadow of the wicked witch fell over the escapees as she cackled wickedly. Like a hawk circling its prey, Mombi swooped down and reached out to catch hold of them. But as if luck was on the good side, Mombi crashed face first into a tree.

Jack only looked back to see what happened when he tripped over a rock and fell on his stomach. As Dorothy went to his aide, she discovered an underbrush hidden in the forest. With Jack's arm over her shoulders and neck, Dorothy carried him all the way to the underbrush until they were completely hidden within the thick bushes and shrubbery.

Around that time, Mombi had regained herself after recovering from her accident. Flying much higher above the forest so not to get hit in the face again. She unknowingly flew over Dorothy, Jack, and Billina as they remained silent and huddled close together as the witch passed over them. But she could not see them or find them, so Mombi had no choice but to return to the cottage.

"I know your there someplace!" Mombi shouted at the forest below her. "Well, go ahead, fools! Go to the Emerald City! A lot of good it will do when the Wheelers catch you!" With a last cackle, Mombi disappeared into the horizon.

"She's gone. You can come out now," said Billina, poking her head out from the bush and walked out.

"Thank you, Jack. I don't know what could have happened if you hadn't been there." Dorothy embraced the pumpkin man with a grateful and warm smile.

"Oh, gee." Jack blushed a bright red face. "I was just helping my new friend."

"So what do we do now?" Billina asked, now trying to consider what to do next.

"Yeah. Mombi said your friend the Scarecrow is in trouble and we can't save him," added Jack. "And who is this Nome King guy? He must sound really mean."

"Guys, don't worry," assured Dorothy. "Scarecrow was in trouble before when the Jester captured him, but I rescued him in time. I'm sure I can do it again."

"But something bad might happen to you, Dorothy!" Jack stated, worriedly. "Mombi might catch you and destroy you!"

"Jack…" Dorothy started calmly. "You mustn't be preoccupied when things look gloomy for us. Everything will look better if you try thinking about good things, like rescuing Scarecrow and my friends." She looked over at the distant broken Yellow Brick Road that would lead them to the Emerald City, with a very determined look.

**(Dorothy)**

**Lately life is like a dream**

**I watching it through a smoky screen**

**Finding ways to sleep away**

**Til I can be with you someday**

**In the darkness you call my name**

**But only an echo came**

**I can hear you**

**I'm only following your voice**

As if in a dream, Dorothy could imagine the Scarecrow smiling and reaching his gloved hand out to her, beckoning her to come to him as she runs to him, as everything goes in slow motion.

**I'll travel through the night**

**I'll follow the fireflies**

**The wolves may call**

**My head may fall**

**Your voice will guide me through it all**

**I'll smile through the pain**

**I'll search 'til I forget my name**

**To find you**

**With a song to keep me warm**

**And your voice to guide me home**

But as soon as she reached the broken Yellow Brick Road, the Scarecrow's image disappeared. Dorothy nearly tripped on a loose brick when she reached the spot he had been standing. She felt discouraged to have lost him, or so she thought.

**Could've sworn I saw you face**

**But I guess that I see you every place**

**People say I've lost my mind**

**I'm starting to wonder if they're right**

**But my heart knows it can't be wrong**

**When the wind blows**

**I know that song**

**I can hear you**

**I'm following your voice**

But Dorothy suddenly puts on a passionate and hopeful expression as she imagines the Scarecrow wrapping his arms around her in a loving embrace, almost feeling the warmth in his embrace.

**I can fell the beating of your heart**

**Stay right where you are**

**I'm coming back to you**

**And your face is constant in my mind**

**Bathed in starry light**

**Wait for me, Scarecrow**

When Jack and Billina reach her side, Dorothy turns and smiles genuinely at them, and they smile back at her. Then Dorothy linked arms with Jack, and the two of them began skipping merrily along the Yellow Brick Road, with Billina trotted along ahead of them.

**I'll travel through the night**

**I'll follow the fireflies**

**The wolves may call**

**My head may fall**

**Your voice will guide me through it all**

Dorothy felt as if she back in childhood, skipping along this very road with the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion, or back when she traveled this road with Wiser, Marshal Mallow, and China Princess.

**I'll smile through the pain**

**I'll search 'til I forget my name**

**To find you**

**With a song to keep me warm**

**And your voice to guide me home**

_**Author's Note – Next chapter will be when Dorothy, Jack, and Billina meet Woodenhorse. His backstory is the same as in Journey Back To Oz. I hope you liked the song I put in for Dorothy. To Find You is sung by Lea Michele. When I first heard the song I thought it fitted Dorothy perfectly when she was on her way to rescue the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion. When Dorothy run to the Scarecrow before he disappears reminded me of Sora running to Riku before the waves of the ocean crash down on him.**_


	5. New Friend and New Trick

Dorothy, Jack, and Billina had recently walked underneath an emerald green bridge on the yellow brick road through the forest, which seemed to look less gloomy and dark, when…

"HEY, YOU!"

A rough voice called out, startling Jack and nearly made him trip on his legs again, almost falling on to the broken brick road. Dorothy quickly caught hold of him as the pumpkinheaded man collapsed into her arms. Jack blushed as he looked into Dorothy's blue eyes, but Dorothy wasn't in the mood to have someone gaze into her eyes. She looked around for the voice that made them stop in their tracks.

"Who said that?" she called out. "Who's there?"

"Over here!" replied the voice.

Dorothy and Jack looked, and they gasped. A wooden carousel horse was standing upside down on a pole stuck within his back. The horse was colored a dark pink all over his body, his hair and tail a scruffy ruddy brown color just like his hooves, and his saddle and halter were a dark blue color.

Billina walked around the pole checking him out. Dorothy and Jack stared at the woodenhorse on the pole in wonder, until the woodenhorse spoke to them in a gruff tone.

"Alright, alright! Don't just stand there staring, come help me!"

"Oh. Are you stuck?" Jack tried to look at him by tilting his head to the side so he could see the horse's face right side up.

"What do you think I'm doing like this? Bird watching?"

"Well, you ain't watching me, that's for sure," huffed Billina.

"Just get me off of this stupid pole!" cried the woodenhorse, indignantly.

Jack shrugged his shoulders, then pushed the woodenhorse around in a circle, the horse making a squeaking sound when he spun around in a circle.

"No, no! Not that way! You're making me dizzy!"

"Hold on, Jack! I've got an idea!" Dorothy gestured the pumpkin man to place both hands and hers under the horse's back, and carefully lift him off the pole. The woodenhorse was really heavy as the two friends heaved and lifted with all their might.

Suddenly, Jack lost his footing and slipped, accidently kicking at the pole and knocking it down, taking the woodenhorse with it. He wasn't hurt, but he glared at the pumpkin man for his clumsiness. Dorothy unscrewed the pole that wedged in his back, and the woodenhorse immediately sat up on all fours.

"Ugh! My aching back!" The woodenhorse groaned slightly, then sighed with relief. "Ah, feels good to be free. I thought nobody would ever come. I owe you guys a lot. I'm your friend for life! You can say a lot of things about ol' Woodenhorse, but he never forgets a friend or a favor! No way, man!"

"Woodenhorse? Is that what you're called?" questioned Jack.

"Yep! That's me!" smiled the carousel horse. When he saw Dorothy and first noticed her beauty, he took her hand in his hoof, giving her a flirtatious smile. "Well, au chante, mademoiselle. The name is Woodenhorse. At your service," he said, before kissing her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Woodenhorse. I'm Dorothy Gale. And this is Jack Pumpkinhead and Billina." Dorothy curtsied, and then introduced her friends to the new companion.

Upon hearing the girl's name, Woodenhorse stared at her almost in shock and became ecstatic. "Dorothy Gale!? The famous Dorothy Gale!? Oh man! I can't believe I'm actually meeting the Witch Slaying Girl from Kansas! I'm a huge fan!"

Dorothy giggled and blushed. Throughout six lonely years in Kansas, she had begun to miss the popularity she received in Oz. Then her mind went back to why the woodenhorse she had found had been upside down. "So, what happened to you, Woodenhorse? Why were you upside down?"

Woodenhorse frowned in deep sadness and his ears lowered. "Well, I was created and made to be a merry-go-round horse for a traveling funfair. But all I ever do is go around in circles, going nowhere, especially with those kids climbing all over me. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and I kicked one of the kids off my backside when he started pulling at my tail. I was immediately cut off from the carousel and abandoned here so I could hurt nobody else. Heck, they could've just set me up as a race horse, or a farm horse, or a clothes horse but I don't a nice figure like those gorgeous mares."

"Oh, dear," Dorothy said with pity in her voice. "You poor horse."

"Say that again, I love hearing sympathy from the heroine of Oz."

"Oh. Uh, you poor horse."

"Thank you."

Billina rolled her eyes in annoyance and decided to cut in. "Uh, I hate to interrupt but we're supposed to be going to Emerald City, Dorothy! Remember?"

"Oh! Uh, right, Billina," said Dorothy.

"Emerald City? The Capital?" Woodenhead asked with deep interest. "You guys know somebody there you got connections?"

"Well, my friend the Scarecrow is the King of Oz," replied Dorothy.

Woodenhead's jaw dropped and his eyes glowed with anticipation. "The King!? You know the King!? Oh my gosh! Why didn't you say so? I heard that Scarecrow King is a real popular guy, and not bad with the ladies too! Kings give out the coolest jobs ever! With one stroke of his pen, he can appoint me Royal Steed, head of the Royal Cavalry! Swift promotion, that's what I like! Will you put in a good word for me, Dorothy?"

Dorothy's smile turned into a worried frown. "Well, we just recently escaped a wicked witch named Mombi, and from what I learned Scarecrow is in danger."

"Danger?" Woodenhead gasped. "What danger?"

"I don't know, but we're on our way to rescue him. The Yellow Brick Road is broken, Munchkinland is deserted, and my friends need rescuing."

Woodenhead thought for a moment, then he beamed. "You've come to the right horse, baby! Cause I'm your boy. Who can get you to the Emerald City faster than me? We'll gallop all the way!"

"Oh, thank you." Dorothy smiled gratefully.

Jack tried to get on the horse's back but his legs were so long and gangly, he almost stumbled backwards and then spun around in a circle. The clumsy pumpkin man landed on the horse's back, facing backwards instead of forwards. Woodenhead shook his head in disgust at the pumpkin creature.

"We really need to do something about those legs of yours," grumbled Billina.

Dorothy helped Jack get off the horse and set him facing forwards on Woodenhorse's back. Then Dorothy picked Billina up in her arms, climbed onto Woodenhorse's back, and in front of Jack, who held onto her.

"We're off to the Emerald City!" cheered Dorothy, as Woodenhead began galloping down the grassy lane.

-0o0o0-

However, unbeknownst to the group, Mombi had been spying on them with her cousins' green crystal ball.

"Why do you think I let her go? I knew Langwidere would take care of her the minute she reaches Emerald City!" Mombi snapped at the personage from the doorway.

The personage was the rock minion whose face was on a small boulder just outside Mombi's cottage. "But the Nome King thought you would take care of her, and the chicken."

"It was that pumpkinhead's fault she escaped my clutches! He has betrayed me!" growled Mombi.

"Maybe he was taken by her charms and good looks," chortled the rock minion. "I mean, Dorothy Gale is now an attractive lady, and she could attract any attention with a face like that and a beautiful singing voice…"

Mombi pointed at her tongue and gagged in disgust. "Blech! Stop swooning over Dorothy and start reprimanding me like you were before! Though honestly I think Langwidere would become extremely jealous if he heard talk about Dorothy like that."

"Oh! Right." The rock minion cleared his throat. "As I was saying, the Nome King isn't pleased that you've let Dorothy and the chicken escape!"

"Why would he be worried about that stupid chicken?" Mombi asked.

The rock minion gestured her to come forward which Mombi did, leaning over so he could whisper into her ear. Mombi's eyes grew wide in shock and her mouth agape.

"WHAT!?" The witch gasped. "Well, why didn't you so say before, you rock-faced creep? What'll we do now?"

"You're the one who let her go, so you're the one who's gotta stop her!" The rock minion left after finishing his sentence.

"Okay, how do I stop that little beauty from reaching the Emerald City?" Mombi wondered.

"Try trapping them in a field of giant sunflowers?" suggested the crow.

"Maybe. But good can giant sunflowers do?" Then, a terrible idea flew into the witch's brain. She smiled smugly, thinking how hideously wonderful her idea was.

The witch picked up the broomstick and placed a crystal orb on the top, making it glow a sickly green color. Once again, the broomstick was being used as a weapon of mass destruction. Going to her crystal ball, Mombi waved her scepter over the crystal ball, muttering a chant while conducting a spell.

"Tear down the walls and plant sunflowers, in their place let wicked people grow, taller than ourselves and fill the sky, with a yellow golden burn, that evil's light is what's to come."

-0o0o0-

"WHOA!" Dorothy shouted so suddenly.

Woodenhorse screeched to a halt. He gave a stop with such a jerk that Jack's pumpkin head whacked Dorothy on the head. "Why do you want me to stop? What's wrong?"

"Look! Up ahead!" Dorothy pointed to the far distance.

Everyone took one look and saw a field of sunflowers growing in the path right in front of them.

"What are those?" asked Jack.

"They're sunflowers," answered Dorothy. "But they just appeared out of nowhere. You see how fast they grow?"

"Flowers don't grow rapidly," stated Woodenhorse. "Unless it was done by magic."

"Look! More sunflowers are growing right behind us!" exclaimed Billina.

Sure enough, many more sunflowers appeared. The giant flowers grew so quickly as they surrounded the small group, entrapping them in a circle.

"Wow! Look at them go!" cried Woodenhorse. "They're gigantic!"

Dorothy then thought about what Woodenhead had said earlier and a look of fear read upon her expression. "Oh, I think those flowers were sent here to get us!"

"But no one knows we're here," said Woodenhead.

"This is no coincidence, Woodenhorse. No flower can grow this fast unless magic is involved," announced Dorothy. "Although the flowers in the Kansas garden don't grow this big or this fast, but I think this is Mombi's doing."

"Oh! I think your right, Dorothy!" Jack cried, frightened. "We better get out of here before we're trapped here forever!"

"Quiet!" snapped Woodenhorse. "Look! Look at the flowers!"

Then, the sunflowers began to turn a dark black color, its petals drying up and the faces changing into a sickly green. The now rather creepy sunflowers began to lean down towards them. Strange faces took shape in the faces of the flowers. Each sunflower had an evil, demonic, and threatening face.

"Yikes! Now they're growing faces! And I don't like 'em!" Jack trembled with fear.

As the sunflowers towered over them and leaned even closer to them, Dorothy recognized one of the faces in the sunflowers and it gave her a terrible shock.

"I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog, too!"

It was the face of the Wicked Witch of the West. Dorothy screamed and clutched Billina very tightly in her arms, causing the hen to squirm to struggle to get out of the girl's bone crushing hug.

"You will suffer my wrath for destroying me and for stealing my slippers!"

There was another voice Dorothy didn't recognize. But when she looked at the face of the sunflower that owned the voice, she could see it had the face of another wicked witch, but at the mention of slippers, Dorothy figured that this must be the face of the Wicked Witch of the East, and she looked just as ugly as her sister and her cousin.

"In a twister, you fell from the sky! And in a twister, you shall die!"

That voice Dorothy knew too well belonged to the Jester. She saw his face on another sunflower, giving her that same evil smirk he used to give her years ago.

"I told you I'd know where you'd be hiding! Now you can't go anywhere now that I have you in my grasp!"

The last face everyone saw was the face of Mombi, on the lead sunflower that was the closest to them. Mombi began to laugh, an evil wicked laugh. She was soon joined by the laughter of the Wicked Witches and the Jester, all laughing manically, directly at Dorothy.

Their laughter ran through her brain and poor Dorothy couldn't take it anymore. She covered her ears, not wishing to hear any more jeering, but the taunts seemed louder than ever. Tears cascaded in her eyes to gaze upon the cruel faces of her enemies. Suddenly, she let out an ear-piercing scream, with a mixture of agony and fear.

Her screaming startled Woodenhorse so much that he neighed in fright, reared back in doing so like all horses do when panicked, and then bolted right through the field of creepy sunflowers, just as the flowers were on the verge of wrapping them around their very long, steam-like bodies like snakes. The flowers were knocked or pushed down forcibly. The flowers gave a cry of shock and pain as Woodenhorse stepped or shoved through them with almost incredible speed. At the end of the field of dead flowers, Woodenhorse burst out of the field, still galloping so fast. The sunflowers vanished the second Woodenhorse and his riders escaped.

Jack clung tight to Dorothy's waist as she clung tight to both Billina and to Woodenhorse's mane. Dorothy hadn't opened her eyes or paid attention to what was in front of them as her mind kept torturing her from her experience with those evil sunflowers.

A river lay just ahead of them and Jack called out for Woodenhorse to stop, but it was too late. Woodenhorse found himself galloping on the water's surface. It didn't last long as Woodenhorse started to sink beneath the water's surface.

Even under the sea, Woodenhorse could still gallop like crazy and not pay attention to everything around him. Jack's pumpkin head spun around, and Billina flapped her wings and clucked ecstatically. Dorothy now opened her eyes and started to freak out; screaming for Woodenhorse to stop, but her voice made bubbling watery sounds so Woodenhorse couldn't hear her.

However, because wood was light on water, Woodenhorse floated right up to the top of the water's surface. Woodenhorse stopped moving and stayed completely still in the water. Dorothy breathed heavy gasps for air, leaning against Woodenhorse's neck.

"Oh, Woodenhorse. Did you have to take us out for a swim when we're not in the mood?" Dorothy gasped, a bit of agitation in her tone.

"I'm sorry, kid, but it was your screaming that started it," replied Woodenhorse.

"This is the second time I get wet," grumbled Billina. "I nearly soiled myself when we crashed into the river!"

"Help! Save me! Dorothy! Help me!"

Everyone looked back and noticed Jack's pumpkin head bobbling in the water, yet his body was still on the wooden horse's back. Dorothy dove into the water and swam over to Jack's pumpkin head, and grabbed it. Woodenhorse swam for shore on the other side of the river, with Billina riding on his back. Dorothy swam to shore until her feet made contact with solid ground. She gently screwed the pumpkin head back firmly on the sharp wooden spike that was Jack's neck.

"Oh, thank you, Dorothy," Jack sighed, gratefully. Then he glared at the wooden horse. "You're a menace, Woodenhorse! Don't you know water isn't good for pumpkins!?"

"It wasn't my fault that Dorothy screamed in my ear! Besides, water is liable to spoil pumpkins, then you would be of no use to us at all so we won't to listen to your worrying!" Woodenhorse retorted, angrily.

"Would you two just shut up!?" Billina shouted loudly. "We've gotta get going before Mombi sends something else at us!"

"Billina is right," declared Dorothy. "The Wicked Witch and the Jester sent plenty of traps at me to keep me from reaching my goal, and Mombi will likely keep this up if we fight less and continue on with our travels more." She lowered her head in shame. "But Woodenhorse is right. I'm sorry I got you all into this mess. It was so horrible to see the faces of those I destroyed, except for Mombi, it's like they came back from the dead to take their revenge on me."

Jack, Woodenhorse, and Billina grew quiet. They looked at each other, and then they looked back at Dorothy, giving her little smiles.

"Ah, don't worry about it, kid." Woodenhorse chuckled. "I've been in worse scrapes than this."

"I was scared too when I thought we'd never escape those awful flowers," Jack said, sympathetically.

"Just warn us the next time you scream," said Billina.

Dorothy smiled and gave a little hearty chuckle. "C'mon, let's go to Emerald City."

Getting onto Woodenhorse's back, the group started back on their journey to the Emerald City.

-0o0o0-

"ARGH! Darn that stupid horse!" Mombi growled, furiously. "I almost had 'em if it hadn't been for him! Although, it was kind of funny to see them fall into the river."

"So what are you gonna do now?" asked the crow. "They're very close to Emerald City."

Mombi gave it some thought for a moment, and then she grinned. "Let them go. Langwidere and the Wheelers will take care of them."


	6. Tiktok and the Wheelers

It was just as Dorothy had feared when they had reached their destination. The green gate that marked the entrance to the Emerald City was a dull sandy brown, broken and dented. In the distance high on a hilltop was what used to be Emerald City, now it was in ruins, looking like lost ancient old city in a jungle.

"Oh, man!" gasped Woodenhorse.

"What happened to this place?" asked Jack.

"It used to be…so beautiful." Dorothy said, sadly.

"Is this the Emerald City you've been telling me about?" asked Billina.

Dorothy nodded in disappointment. "That _was_ the Emerald City, Billina."

Upon reaching the Emerald palace and entering through the main door, Dorothy and her friends gasped to what they found. The entire city was completely damaged and buildings were destroyed. White marble statues of the occupants of the city stood everywhere on the streets.

Dorothy cupped her hands to her mouth and called out, "Hello! Is anybody here? Lion? Scarecrow? Tin Man?"

"Maybe there's nobody here," said a nervous Jack.

"Not moving very fast, are they?" said Billina, gazing up at the statues. "We came all this way to see a bunch of stiff people."

"This is not the time to be a crack pot," snorted Woodenhorse.

"Hey guys! Look at this!" Dorothy pointed to some large red letters painted on one of the broken buildings. "It says, 'Beware the Wheelers.'"

"What's a Wheeler?" asked Billina.

Dorothy shook her head. "I don't know. I never heard of a wheeler before."

"Maybe it's an automobile, like the cars and trucks we see around Kansas." Billina suggested.

"Look at this!" Jack gestured everyone to the fountain, where he discovered a circle of dancing headless women statues. "These ones have lost their heads."

"Now that's what I call just plain carelessness," said Billina.

"Why don't you leave the jokes to me?" growled Woodenhorse. "I usually do it at a nicer time."

One of the headless statues was not dancing. She wore a large gown with a magic wand in her hand. Dorothy looked at the statue carefully and recognition dawned on her when she realized who it was.

"GLINDA!"

Dorothy embraced the headless statue of the good witch, weeping sorrowfully. "Oh, Glinda. Not you too. What's happened to you? What's happened to everybody?"

Jack and Woodenhorse exchanged sad and worried looks. They felt truly sorry to see Dorothy getting choked up at losing one of her friends to such a sad fate. Even Billina didn't make any jokes about it, especially when Woodenhorse gave her a dirty look to make sure she didn't say anything funny.

"Dorothy…" Jack stepped forward, reaching his hand out to try and comfort her.

Suddenly, there was an eerie squeaking sound. Everyone looked around in alarm but they saw nothing. The squeak made Dorothy remember the squeaky wheels of the stretcher bed she had been strapped down on at that terrible clinic. But this was no stretcher.

Around the corner, a strange creature – with wheels on both arms and legs – rolled toward them, laughing wildly. "C'mere, chicken!"

"Look out! It's a Wheeler!" screamed Billina.

"How do you know what it is!?" shouted Woodenhorse.

"Why do you think the sign said beware the wheelers for!?" retorted Billina.

Another wheeler appeared on a bridge above them, cackling. Dorothy screamed and made a run for it with Jack and Woodenhorse. But another wheeler, who was their leader, cut off her escape route.

The Head Wheeler, with a pointed nose and red hair and a purple tinted face, looked Dorothy up and down at her slim legs and slender figure, with a lustful smile. "Hey there, little lady. Wanna go for a roll with me?"

Watching all this happening, the Scarecrow felt a different emotion grow within his heart. It was something he had never felt before but he once heard the Tin Man speak of this when he first met him. He clutched the mirror's handle tightly in his hand, his upper lip lifting in a snarl.

"Eh…no thank you," Dorothy muttered, nervously.

"Back off, joker!" Jack growled in anger.

But the Head Wheeler ignored him as he rolled closer to Dorothy. "Boss says you're just a freckle-faced little girl, but I think you're – hot!" He stood up on his back legs, placed both arms on her shoulders, and tried to kiss her, making smooching sounds.

"Eew! Get off me!" Dorothy cried, as she tried to shove the Head Wheeler's face out of her face.

The Scarecrow screamed and yelled at the Head Wheeler in the mirror in a rage he never knew he had. "YOU! You worthless piece of slime! You ignorant disgusting blob! YOU FOUL OBNOXIOUS MORON!"

But lucky for him, Woodenhorse neighed in fury and lashed out at the Head Wheeler, kicking at him with his hind legs. The blow had sent the Head Wheeler falling back on his backside. "You leave Dorothy or I'll kick you again!"

The other wheeler stared in awe and whispered, "Oh, no, he didn't." The Head Wheeler moved right back on his feet and looked beyond angry. "Oooh, I'm gonna get you for this, you worthless chunk of wood! Get 'em, boys!"

All of a sudden, a gang of wheelers came in from all corners of the street, laughing maniacally.

"Dorothy, run! We'll fight them off!" shouted Woodenhorse, going into fighting position. Jack picked up an iron poker as a weapon as the wheelers closed in on both him and Woodenhorse. Dorothy picked up Billina and dashed toward the bridge, but several more wheelers could be seen lurking about on the other side of the bridge.

"Quick! That way!" Billina pointed to an open entrance in the wall.

Dorothy ran into the dark hall as the Head Wheeler beckoned the others to follow. Dorothy stopped when she realized she had run into a dead end.

"Got you!" cackled the Head Wheeler from the end of the hall. "Your trapped, toots!" The rest of the wheelers entered the hall.

Dorothy frantically searched the stone wall for a way to escape but there was none. The wheelers' laughter echoed down the hallway as they crept toward Dorothy. All hope for her seemed lost, until she noticed an outline of a door in the stone surface and a keyhole.

"The key! They key!" whispered Billina.

Dorothy fished out the key from her pocket and jammed it in the lock, turning it. The key opened up the wall, allowing Dorothy and Billina to enter.

"What the?" gasped the Head Wheeler. "Get her!"

Grabbing the key, Dorothy ducked inside, slamming the door shut. As soon as she did this, the wheelers crashed against the wall.

"What do you know? This key _did_ come from Oz." Dorothy looked at the key in amazement. It was as if her friends knew something like this would happen.

The Head Wheeler leaned his face close enough to the keyhole and shouted threateningly to Dorothy, "You'll have to come out sooner or later! And when you do, we'll tear you apart into little pieces and throw you and your friends into the Deadly Desert!"

"But I haven't done anything to you!" Dorothy objected, through the keyhole.

"Isn't that a stolen lunch pail in your breast pocket!? Isn't that a chicken in there with you!? The Nome King doesn't allow chickens anywhere in Oz!"

Again with this Nome King person. Mombi had mentioned him before and the way she talked about him, he must sound terrible because she did say he would get rid of the Scarecrow. But Dorothy didn't know anything else about this Nome King or what his intentions were. "Who is the Nome King?"

But the Head Wheeler howled with laughter and mocked her words. His laughter was joined by more cackling, and the wheelers rolled out the hall and back into the city.

"Don't you listen to those crazy clowns," Billina assured her. "I'm sure those lunch pails don't belong to them."

"I think your right," Dorothy nodded, agreeing with her.

"What are we gonna do now, Dorothy?"

"I don't know. But let's just hope Jack and Woodenhorse are okay."

But as she turned around, Dorothy gasped in surprise. A small window let minimal light in, its sun rays rested on what appeared to be a mechanical man made out of copper. It had a round head with a cap perched on its head, a moustache attached to his nose above his mouth, a round body with skinny arms and legs just like the Tin Man's. It was covered in a layer of dust.

Dorothy approached the bronze statue, curiously. "Why it looks like a man…..a man made out of copper." To her it felt like Déjà vu on her first meeting with the Tin Man. Wiping the dust off his front chest, Dorothy found a badge imprinted on the copper's man chest and read it aloud. "Tiktok, the Royal Army of Oz."

"Army? It's just a bunch of junk, like that old copper kettle in the barn back home," clucked Billina.

"Look, there are some instructions." Dorothy said, walking behind of the copper man and found an instruction manual on his back. "For thinking, wind up number one. For speaking, wind up number two. For action, wind up number three."

Glancing at three key knobs on Tiktok's neck, Dorothy wound up all three of them. With a sudden jerk, Tiktok came to life. A ticking sound came from his body and his eyes blinked a few times.

"Why did you wind up all three of them?" asked Billina.

"I'm always curious to new things I find in Oz," answered Dorothy.

The copper man stammered before he could find the proper words to speak. "Good evening, miss."

"Hello, good sir." Dorothy curtsied politely.

"Are you Dorothy Gale, the Witch and Jester Slayer of Kansas?"

"Well, sort of." Dorothy shrugged.

"It is an honor to meet you. I am Tiktok, the Royal Army of Oz." Tiktok bowed low before her, then he stood up. "His Majesty, the Scarecrow, locked me in here and told me to wait for you."

"What's happened to the Emerald City? And what happened to the Scarecrow and all my friends?" Dorothy asked, worriedly.

"I don't know," Tiktok said, sadly. "Suddenly, everyone here began turning into stone. When you did not arrive, I called for help until my voice ran down. Then I paced back and forth until my action ran down. Then I stood and thought until my thoughts ran down. After that, I remembered nothing until you wound me up."

"Well, you should thank Billina. She was the one who found the key." Dorothy gestured to the hen, perched up on a dusty old crate. Billina just grinned and nodded.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hen." Tiktok smiled. "Where did you find the key?"

"In the barnyard in Kansas," said Dorothy.

"The Scarecrow did say he was going to send you the key with Glinda's wand right after she turned to stone."

"Well, Tiktok, the first thing we need to do is to escape from those wheelers. They're outside waiting for us, and by now might've hurt two of my friends, Jack Pumpkinhead and Woodenhorse. They said they're gonna throw us into the Deadly Desert."

Tiktok tipped his hat and bowed low. "Don't worry, I will take care of them. From now on, I shall be your obedient servant. If you keep me wound up. Just make sure my works are extra tight and I can come up with a plan."

Moments later, the heavy stone door creaked open. Tiktok peered his head out through the half open door. He looked around, making sure there wasn't a wheeler in sight.

"Hmm…lunch pail, please," he said, extending his hand out. Dorothy handed Tiktok her lunch pail, and he took it. "These wheelers can be very tricky customers."

The door pushed open farther and Tiktok walked out, followed by Dorothy with Billina in her arms. They crept down the hall and peeked out from the corner. "Oh my goodness!" Tiktok gasped, seeing the destruction of the once beautiful Emerald City. But as soon as they walked out into the light, the wheelers jumped out at them in surprise, laughing evilly.

"You stay on the staircase! I will take them down!" Tiktok shouted, ready for battle.

Dorothy climbed up a nearby staircase but a few wheelers were at the top. But they didn't go after her, they were only blocking her exit. Dorothy looked down and watched as Tiktok began spinning his round body rapidly.

"Want some of this!?" The copper man bravely fought off the wheelers, taking them down with the lunch pail. The wheelers cried out in pain when they felt the lunch pail hit them on their heads or in their faces.

"Go Tiktok! Show 'em who's boss!" Billina cheered.

The Scarecrow smiled in relief and amazement as Tiktok beat those wheelers good. "Good ol' Tiktok! I knew you'd come through this! And give that wheeler who flirted with Dorothy a black eye for me!"

Tiktok had struck the Head Wheeler hard and picked him up by the collar. "Come here, you." All the wheelers rolled away from Tiktok in fear like the cowards they were, afraid of being beaten again.

The Head Wheeler shook like an angry dog tied to a leash. "You're gonna be sorry for treating me like this! I'm a very fierce person!"

"I am only a machine, so I cannot be sorry or cheerful, no matter what happens," Tiktok said, in an angry tone of voice.

Dorothy climbed down the staircase and approached the Head Wheeler. "Where is the Scarecrow? What have you done to Jack and Woodenhorse? And what's happened to the Emerald City?"

The Head Wheeler only mocked her, until Tiktok grasped his hand around his throat making him choke briefly. "Answer her!"

The Head Wheeler stammered, "The Nome King…..he conquered the Emerald City…..he took all of the emeralds…..he turned everybody into statues."

"What about the Scarecrow and my friends?" demanded Dorothy.

"There is only one person who knows where the Scarecrow and the others are and that's…" The Head Wheeler stammered in fear before he answered the name of the person he was about to speak of. "Luh…luh…lang…Princess…Langwidere."

"Princess Langwidere?" Billina clucked in confusion.

"I don't remember her," stated Dorothy.

"We…we…took your friends to her. She…she locked them up." The Head Wheeler stuttered in terror.

"Take us to Langwidere!" Dorothy demanded with determination. She had to save Jack and Woodenhorse from this mysterious princess, and wanted to find out where the Scarecrow and all her friends are."

The Head Wheeler shook his head rapidly. "Oh no! No way! Nah-uh! Forget it!" But Tiktok choked on him much harder and longer, making the wheeler's face turn blue. Then he reluctantly gave in.

The Scarecrow's eyes widened in terror when he learned of what Dorothy's intention of visiting that evil princess. "Are you nuts, kiddo!? Langwidere is crazy! She'll have your head!"

_**Author's Note - I hope you liked this one. If Mark Hamill voiced a Wheeler, it would've sounded like the Joker. From what Scarecrow had shouted in his prison, it's from Dan Aykroyd on Ghostbusters. It's his first sign of experiencing jealousy for him. I've seen Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland and when I watched th Knave try to seduce Alice, I imagined what would it be like if Dorothy was in the same situation as Alice. The next upcoming chapter will be about that crazy head changing Princess Langwidere and two new friends for Dorothy. I don't own Oz or the characters.**_


	7. The Evil Princess and the Hungry Tiger

Dorothy knocked on the handle of the palace door. It opened slightly at the last knock. The Head Wheeler pathetically whimpered in fear as he begged Tiktok to release him.

"Let me go! Please, I'm begging you! Please, oh, please! Let me go!"

"Let him go, Tiktok," said Dorothy.

"Behave yourself now," Tiktok said sternly. "Or I will beat you again."

"Y-Yes, sir. I'll b-behave." The Head Wheeler stammered nervously.

Tiktok let go of his collar and the Head Wheeler rolled away as quickly as he could, as if in a hurry to get away from the palace like something horrible lurked within these walls. This was true.

But Dorothy did not know this as she boldly entered the palace, with Billina trotted behind her and Tiktok cautiously walking beside her, looking around as if something might spring upon them and attack them. Dorothy was shocked to see the entire place abandoned and covered in dust, just like how Tiktok had been. Some parts of the palace were a wreck like something was thrown in or out from the wall.

"I've been away from Oz for so long I'm starting to wish that I had come back sooner," Dorothy sighed dejectedly.

"Well if you ask me this Langwidere is some housekeeper," clucked Billina, looking at her surroundings.

"Shh! Quiet!" Tiktok shushed them and pointed to a nearby staircase. "I hear music, and its coming from up there."

Climbing up a grand staircase to a lovely room full of mirrors, they heard the sound of sweet music. Inside the room of mirrors it remained as nice and neat as ever, but it was occupied by a beautiful woman playing a lute.

"Excuse me but are you Princess Langwidere?" Dorothy asked when she approached the woman.

The woman, named Langwidere, yawned slightly, put down her lute and extended a dainty hand to her. "Help me to rise," she said in a soft elegant voice.

Dorothy took her hand and helped the lady to her feet. Langwidere studied Dorothy's face carefully and stroked her cheek. "I think I'll put on something more appropriate. Come with me. Your friends can stay here."

"Well, we're looking for the Scarecrow and his companions," Dorothy said, as Langwidere took her by the hand and led her to another room.

"What companions?" asked Langwidere.

"The Tin Man, the Lion, Wiser the owl, Marshal Mallow, and China Princess."

The golden door parted as the two women entered Langwidere's bedroom. Dorothy gasped in complete shock when she saw dozens of women's heads behind glass cases. They all watched Dorothy walk by, with looks of extreme worry for the young girl.

In glass cabinet Number One, Dorothy felt her heart jump when she saw the head of Glinda the Good Witch of the North. When Glinda's head recognized her, she opened her mouth to say something, but Langwidere shot her a look of pure venom to keep her silent.

Langwidere took out a ruby red key and unlocked the first cabinet she stopped at. "I think Number Four will do this afternoon," she said as she pulled her blonde hair up in a bun, unscrewed her head off her body, and placed it on the shelf in the glass case she had unlocked. After putting it away, she closed the glass case and locked it with her ruby key.

The headless body of Langwidere walked to glass cabinet Number Four, where a pretty dark brunette lady stood on the shelf. Unlocking the glass case with her ruby key, Langwidere picked the brunette's head up and held out for Dorothy to look at.

"What do you think?" asked the brunette haired woman, in a rather slightly unpleasant tone.

Dorothy was beginning to feel frightened of this strange princess, but she bravely answered, "I think you're very beautiful."

"I should hope so," added Langwidere, screwing the brunette's head firmly upon her neck. "And just who might you be and what are you doing here?"

"My name is Dorothy Gale."

Langwidere's eyes widened in surprise. "Dorothy Gale? The girl who vanquishes jesters and wicked witches?"

Dorothy nodded, and then she asked, "Do you know what's happened to the Scarecrow and the people close to him?"

"Come nearer to me," Langwidere ordered. Dorothy timidly obeyed as she approached this strange woman. "The Nome King took the Scarecrow and the people you've mentioned, and all of the green emeralds back to his mountain, and turned everybody else into stone. As for your two friends, they have been locked in the palace dungeon until I decide their fate." The princess examined Dorothy's features very closely, placing her hand under the girl's chin. "You have become rather attractive growing up, not at all beautiful, you understand. But you have a certain prettiness, different from my other heads, a face that turns the heads of men." Langwidere then smiled coldly. "I believe I will lock you in the tower until I'm prepared to take _your_ head and add it to my collection."

"I believe you will not!" Dorothy snapped, smacking the princess' hand away from her chin.

No sooner she said this, Langwidere grabbed Dorothy's arm in an icy grip and dragged her forcibly out of her bedroom. But as soon as she reached the room of mirrors, Billina squawked angrily and flew in a shrieking Langwidere's face, pecking at her with her beak and clawing at her with her feet.

"I'm coming, Dorothy!" Tiktok shouted, running towards the evil princess, his hand lifted upward with the lunch pail to strike at Langwidere. But before he could land a blow, he stopped moving. "Uh-oh. My action has run down. I suppose my fight with the wheelers made me run down faster than usual."

"It can't be helped, Tiktok!" exclaimed Dorothy.

Langwidere grabbed the squawking Billina by the feet and growled, "I'll have you fried for breakfast!" Then she rushed to a different mirror and swung it open, revealing a secret passage up a staircase.

"What will you do with Tiktok?" Dorothy asked with concern, as she was being dragged up the staircase.

"People will think I have a new statue," sneered Langwidere, opening a door and tossed Dorothy and Billina into the room, and locked the door behind her.

"Let me out, you old witch!" Dorothy banged and kicked against the door to no avail. Giving up, she sighed and leaned back against the wall, arms folded.

"Dorothy, if this is how Oz is, I'd rather take my chances back in Kansas," said Billina.

"But Oz is in trouble, Billina, and my friends are in danger!" Dorothy snapped. "We can't just sit here and do nothing!"

"But we've captured by a wicked old witch, escaped a field of nasty sunflowers, had a run in with wheelers, and now we're locked in the tower by a crazy princess!"

It was then Dorothy noticed her surroundings. She realized she was in the Wizard's chamber, or the throne room. She spotted the Rainbow Mover in the other side of the room and Dorothy rushed toward it, thinking she could use it to escape. But she became utterly dismayed to find the Rainbow Mover destroyed and damaged. Looks like hope of escaping was lost.

"What is that thing?" Billina asked curiously.

"It's a Rainbow Mover," replied Dorothy. "This machine brought me to Oz the second time. The Scarecrow invented it."

"How can that thing move rainbows? It's just a hunk of junk." Billina scoffed in disbelief. "And how can a scarecrow become an inventor? All they do is stand in the cornfield and scare crows."

Dorothy glared down at the hen with extreme anger. "The Scarecrow happens to be my first friend and the greatest king and inventor in all of Oz! He built this Rainbow Mover to bring me back to Oz when the Jester took over! He even saved me when I was held prisoner of the Wicked Witch! Must you always think and speak negative thoughts about my friend at a time like this!? All the people dear to me are helpless or captured, and we have no way of getting out!"

Billina said nothing; she was speechless and taken aback by Dorothy's outburst. Dorothy sat down on the steps and began to cry. Billina moved further away from her, no longer wanting to get involved.

**(Dorothy)**

**I can't win, I can't reign**

**I will never win this game**

**Without you, without you**

**I am lost, I am vain**

**I will never be the same**

**Without you, without you**

Getting up, Dorothy walked over to a locked window and peered out. It gave her a distant viewing of the Land of Oz and several mountain landscapes. The setting sun basked over the mountains, changing the sky to a golden orange color. Far out on the Emerald City harbor, pieces of wood and bark from a tree drifted along the river. All that was left of Tugg when the Nome King conquered the city. With a painful sigh, Dorothy leaned against the wall.

**I won't run, I won't fly**

**I will never make it by**

**Without you, without you**

**I can't rest, I can't fight**

**All I need is you and I**

**Without you, without you**

**Woooooh!**

**You! You! You!**

**Without You**

**You! You! **

**Without You**

Dorothy noticed a painted portrait of a long line of famous rulers that have ruled Oz hanging firmly upon the wall, all covered in dust. One of them was the great Wizard of Oz in his younger years. And another was a portrait of the Scarecrow King, the Tin Man, and the Lion, all posing and smiling handsomely. Tears welled up in her eyes as Dorothy ran a hand over he friends' portrait.

**Can't erase, so I'll take blame**

**But I can't accept that we're estranged**

**Without you, without you**

**I can't quit now, this can't be right**

**I can't take one more sleepless night**

**Without you, without you**

**I won't soar, I won't climb**

**If you're not here, I'm paralyzed**

**Without you, without you**

In his dungeon, the Scarecrow felt his own tears burn within his eyes. He wished he was in the Wizard's chamber to hold Dorothy until she felt better. But as he listened to her angelic voice and his heart ached to be with her, he found himself entranced. He was falling in love with her. His best friend and the Savior of Oz, Dorothy Gale.

**I can't look, I'm so blind**

**I lost my heart, I lost my mind**

**Without you**

**Woooooh!**

**You! You! You!**

**Without You**

**You! You!**

**Without You**

Then Dorothy noticed a portrait of the former King and Queen of Oz, Pastoria and Lurline, hanging next to the Wizard's portrait. The Queen was holding a beautiful baby girl in her arms. There was something about that baby that Dorothy thought looked familiar. The baby's eyes sparkled liked emeralds and her lips tinted like a tourmaline, and a bit of ruddy gold hair with a green bow tied in her hair. Dorothy remembered the girl who rescued her from the clinic who had the same description as the baby in the picture. Could it be that this girl…

**I am lost, I am vain**

**I will never be the same**

**Without you, without you**

**Without you**

"WAAAAAAAHH!"

A sudden bawling startled Dorothy so much that she lost her footing and fell backwards. Billina freaked out and squawked wildly. The bawling came from behind the throne and Dorothy walked over to see who or what was making that noise.

To her surprise, a tiger was chained to the wall with a shackle around his neck. The tiger looked about as tall and muscular as the Lion, with a face almost a lot like his even with a goatee on his chin, and a blue bow tied around his tail. The tiger was sobbing hysterically and sadly, his large paws covering his tear stained eyes.

"Oh, that's the saddest…oh-ho, that's the saddest song I ever heard!

"Could you not scare us like that again!?" Billina shouted, angrily.

"I'm sorry, it's just…oh, it's just that I heard the most beautiful voice singing a very sad song!" cried the Tiger.

"Meaning me? I'm sorry." Dorothy apologized.

"Don't apologize," sobbed the Tiger. "I liked hearing your voice, but your song sounded so sad."

The Tiger wiped his tears off with his tail, and then blew his nose on his own tail.

"Ugh! That's disgusting." Billina shook her head in disgust. "Dorothy, give him a hankie."

Dorothy took out a hankie from her pocket and offered it to the crying Tiger, who took it and used it to blow his nose again. Then he handed it back to a grossed out Dorothy, who didn't wanna touch the wet hankie and tossed it in a small green recycling box close by. Watching the Tiger cry made Dorothy feel like she was in Déjà vu again. When she had first met the Lion, he was a bit of a crybaby after discovering he was a coward.

"Will you be alright now, Mr. Tiger?" Dorothy asked, kindly, as she stroked the Tiger's forehead like petting a cat.

"I think so," the Tiger said, calming down. "But my name is not Mr. Tiger. I'm the Hungry Tiger."

"Oh! Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, I'm always hungry, no matter what I eat. Sometimes I wish dentist could pull it out."

"What? You have a toothache for eating too much? If its candy you've been eating from Candy County, you should never eat from there."

"It's not a toothache I'm worried about, kid. It's my appetite I want the dentist to pull out."

Dorothy and Billina both exchanged looks of awkwardness. Then Dorothy decided to change the subject.

"Okay…my name is Dorothy Gale, and this Billina."

The Tiger stared up at her in awe. "The famous Dorothy Gale!? Oh, man! This is so cool! My childhood buddy, the Lion, told me all about you!" He took her hand in his big paw. "And let me just say enchante, senorita." The Tiger planted a big kiss on Dorothy's tiny hand while she blushed and giggled.

"Oh brother. Another admirer and big fan of Dorothy." Billina rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"So what are you doing up here, Tiger?" Dorothy asked.

"That old witch Langwidere wanted me to be her own personal bodyguard," said the Tiger. "But when I said forget it, she had me locked up in the Wizard's chamber and starve me until I'm ready. She's got one crazy temper."

"I know." Dorothy nodded gravely. "But where did she get all those heads?"

"Did you see the headless dancing girls outside?" Dorothy nodded, and the Tiger said, "Well, that's exactly where she got them. Including Glinda."

Suddenly, there came an eerie howling sound, followed by a screech, and another and another. Dorothy clung to the Tiger's neck as he put his arm around her protectively. Billina squawked and hid herself behind the Tiger's body.

"What is that?" Dorothy asked, frightened.

"It's a baboon," said the Tiger, grimly. "And I can smell a whole lot of them coming. And I can smell a witch."

"Mombi!" Dorothy gasped. She remembered how the wicked witch told her about using flying baboons to help her conquer Oz, and she also remembered those awful sounds the baboons made when they had tried to take Billina away from her. Speak of the devil. The cackling of Mombi soaring through the skies sent a shiver down Dorothy's spine.

"What's that witch doing here?" growled the Tiger.

"Maybe she came here looking for me," guessed Dorothy, sadly. "Looks like she guessed right. Now I'm gonna lose my head to Langwidere and Mombi will have her revenge on me."

The Tiger looked down at Dorothy, seeing the look of failure and depression in her eyes. But then, his face changed into a very serious look. "We're not giving up now, honey! You're known as the Savior of Oz. Only you can save us all. We just need to figure out a plan to escape."

Dorothy looked up at the Tiger. At first, she seemed doubtful that they could find a way to escape, but after considering the matter a little thought, she knew that he was right. "All right, but what can we use to get out? I mean, I'm not the Scarecrow so I'm not as smart as I look."

"Take your time, Dorothy. No need to rush."

Dorothy looked around the chamber. Junk had been thrown everywhere. It was worse than the last time she came to Emerald City with Wiser, Marshal Mallow, China Princess, and Toto. Objects and furniture were everywhere. Two sofas had been thrown to their side of the room, large palm leaves spilled on the floor with a broken vase, books and round plastic balls and tools were scattered everywhere, an extremely long piece of rope tied around the pipes of the broken Rainbow Mover, the head of a green faced moose with a goatee and antlers of a deer…suddenly, an idea popped right into Dorothy's brain and her eyes grew wide with excitement.

"Wait a minute. I have a _brilliant_ idea!"

"You see? I told you that you could figure out a plan for our escape," the Tiger smiled. "So what's the plan?"

"Okay, first I have to get you unchained from the wall, Tiger," Dorothy explained. "While we do that, Billina can sneak through the vent, spy on Mombi, and find out where she keeps her Powder of Life."

"Right!" Billina huffed with pride. "Sneak me through the vent so I can…" But he pride shattered when she clearly understood the task she was given. "WHAAAT!?"

Meanwhile, outside the Emerald palace, dark shadows flew across the damaged city. Large creatures with giant bat wings crashed landed onto the stone statues, breaking them in half or violently destroying them as if they were real.

The wheelers woke up from their nap at the palace steps and looked up. All of a sudden, the face of a hideous ugly baboon appeared out of nowhere, roaring menacingly. The wheelers squealed like scared little girls and began rolling around each other, trying to get away, only to bump or topple into one another.

"What's going on out there!?" screamed an angry Langwidere when she came outside.

The wicked princess gasped in horror when she saw flying baboons all over the city. These baboons were much larger and stronger than the flying monkeys, but more lethal and aggressive. Their bodies were dark grey, the hairs on their heads were as white as snow, the giant bat wings on their backs were orange, their eyes were a sickly green, and their teeth were as long and sharp as their claws.

Out of the sky flying on her broomstick came Mombi, laughing evilly all the way. "Out of my way!" she shouted as she flew past the ducking wheelers. The wicked witch landed on the doorstep, facing the princess.

"What are you doing here?" Langwidere snapped. "My city is overrun with flying monkeys!"

"They're not flying monkeys, you head-changing freak!" Mombi retorted. "These are my flying baboons. You see, my cousin, the Witch of the East, used to have these creatures as her slaves. But right after the Wizard chased her and the Witch of the West out of the Emerald City, Glinda had the wings removed from them and banished them to a disagreeable country. Lucky for these babies, I gave them back their wings with a brew I concocted."

"But why use baboons when you could've used the monkeys?" asked Langwidere.

"Baboons are much stronger and much tougher than the monkeys," replied Mombi. "Now, on to business. I've discovered that Dorothy has come here through my cousins' crystal ball. Where is she?"

"I locked her up in the tower. She can't get out or use that worthless Rainbow Mover to escape."

"Perfect! And is the chicken locked up in there with her too?"

"Yes. I'm going to cook her up for breakfast tomorrow. Then, I will cut off Dorothy's head and make it a part of my collection with my other heads."

"That should certainly kill her if you did that," Mombi chuckled, wickedly. "But what about that pumpkinhead and wooden horse?"

Langwidere gave a cruel smile. "They have been thrown in the Emerald City dungeon. I plan to make the pumpkin into a pie and use his body, as well as the wooden horse, as kindle for the fire. And the mechanical clock man I want to keep for a statue."

"Oh, that sounds like an excellent idea! It's so wicked!"

Both Mombi and Langwidere cackled evilly.

"I wouldn't miss Dorothy's demise for the world," added Mombi. "You mind if I stay for the night?"

"As long as you keep those horrid beasts under control." Langwidere nodded her head to the winged baboons, the bunch teasing and terrifying the poor wheelers.

Mombi put her fingers in her mouth and gave a loud shrieking whistle. The winged baboons immediately stopped what they were doing.

"You can put your witchy things in cabinet thirty," added Langwidere, turning to go back inside the palace. "It's where I keep my _original_ head. I don't care for it though because it's not as beautiful as my other heads."

"No wonder," muttered Mombi. "You're almost as ugly as me and cousins."

Langwidere whirled her head around sharply. "Did you say something, Mombi?"

"Uh, nothing! Nothing at all!" Mombi shook her head in denial.


	8. Emerald City Escape

The very second Mombi and Langwidere had left, Billina, who had been hiding in the air vent the whole time, had listened their entire conversation. She immediately turned and wedged her way through the vent back up to the Wizard's chamber. The hen emerged from the air duct, shaking the dust off her feathery body.

"Dorothy! Mombi is hiding her witchy stuff in one of Langwidere's cabinets! It will be in cabinet thirty where her original head is stored!"

Dorothy had freed the Tiger from being chained to the wall with a screwdriver to unlock the shackle around his neck when she heard the information Billina gave her. "Good work, Billina! If all of Mombi's magic powders and potions are in cabinet thirty, that's where I'll find her Powder of Life."

"So what's the next part of the plan?" asked the Tiger.

"We rescue Jack, Tiktok, and Woodenhorse!" added Dorothy. "But we'll have to be careful with all those winged baboons and wheelers lurking about."

"You'll find old melon head and carousel horse in the Emerald City dungeon," stated Billina.

"You let me deal with those crazy baboons," said the Tiger, pumping a fist in the air, "while you find Tiktok."

Using the screwdriver that Dorothy had used, the Tiger unlocked the door and pushed it slightly open. Dorothy and the Tiger crept down the dusty staircase and entered the chamber of mirrors. Tiktok stood completely still in the middle of the room, as where Langwidere had left him.

Dorothy tiptoed quietly to the mechanical man and whispered through his ear. "Tiktok, are you listening?" Tiktok's eyes widened when he heard Dorothy's voice and he opened his mouth to say something when Dorothy placed a hand over his mouth. "Shh! Don't say anything. I found the Hungry Tiger. He's gone after Jack and Woodenhorse. After I finish winding you up, go upstairs where Billina is waiting and she will explain what you need to do."

When his action had been wound up, Tiktok nodded his head in understanding to Dorothy.

In the Emerald City dungeon, a pair of winged baboons were throwing banana peels and half eaten mangos at Jack and Woodenhorse, screeching and laughing wildly. Poor Jack and Woodenhorse hated being the victims of torment as Jack often tripped on a banana peel and Woodenhorse covered in mango juice whenever the mangos splattered all over his face. One of the winged baboons was about to throw another mango at Woodenhorse when a big orange furry paw grabbed him by the wrist. The winged baboon glanced behind him and his face fell. He tapped his partner on the shoulder and his reaction was the same. From outside the dungeon, if anyone was close enough to the door, they would've heard the sounds violent punching or menacing roars.

Upstairs in the Wizard's chamber, Tiktok pushed the two big sofas together and Billina was pulling a large cord of rope so Tiktok could tie them together. Just then, the door opened and Jack and Woodenhorse entered, still covered in banana peels and mango juice.

"Well, it's about time you boys got here," said Billina. "And what happened to you?"

"Locked in a cell, guarded by two chimpanzees with wings, had thrown fruit in our faces, anything else you wanna ask?" Woodenhorse grumbled with sarcasm. "But I felt much better when that good old tiger gave them the whatnot," he added, with a pleased smile.

"Where is Dorothy?" asked Tiktok.

"Mr. Tiger says she went to go get Mombi's Powder of Life while she's sleeping," said Jack. "But Mr. Tiger said he's gone with her to look after her." He twiddled his stick finger tips with nervousness. "I just hope Dorothy doesn't wake up that evil witch. Things could get really ugly."

-0o0o0-

Dorothy and the Tiger cautiously pushed the door open to the bedroom of the wicked princess. All they could was loud snoring from under the white sheets of the princess' bed. The Tiger motioned Dorothy to get down on all fours and crawl towards the bed, which she did, as quietly as ever. Peering over the bedside, Dorothy noticed one hand sticking out from under the blanket. The hand that had Langwidere's ruby red key tied around her wrist in black ribbon. Very carefully, Dorothy untied the black ribbon from the princess' wrist. Suddenly, Langwidere moaned slightly and turned over. The blanket pulled back, revealing the body of the princess in a pink nightgown, but with no head, creeping the Tiger out greatly.

"Daah!" The Tiger let out a cry of shock. Dorothy quickly clapped her hand over his mouth and yanked him down from the princess' view, afraid he might wake her up. But Langwidere was still asleep. Dorothy glared a look of scolding at the Tiger, who felt embarrassed. "Sorry, Dorothy."

Carefully, Dorothy reached for the ruby red key that lay on the bed and placed it in her pocket. Leaving the room, Dorothy approached the hall of heads. Each woman's head slept and snored peacefully. Dorothy gulped with fear and grasped her neck, praying her head would never become a part of Langwidere's collection.

-0o0o0-

Back upstairs, Jack, Woodenhorse, and Tiktok tied the two sofas together using the rope Billina gave them. The palm fronds were tied to the sofas just like the mounted moose's head had been tied to the front.

"What is that thing tied to the front?" questioned Billina.

"That is the head of a Gump," answered Tiktok. "We do need a head so he could see where we're going."

"Here's an extra broom for the tail." Jack wedged the stick's end of the broom in the back.

"Perfect," said Tiktok. "Now we tie Jack's feet together at the same time."

"Right! Tie my feet together at the same time – Whoa!" Jack's feet were tied together and bound tightly by the rope that he tripped and fell on Woodenhorse.

"Watch where you fall next time!" growled Woodenhorse. "Why do we need your feet tied together anyway?"

"Bring the mantelpiece right to the desk…..and anoint the palms….."

Woodenhorse raised an eyebrow. "Anoint the palms? What are you talking about, Tiktok? It's not right."

"That's right, Woodenhorse…..left, right, and wrong….."

"What are you talking about, Tiktok?" Jack asked, confused.

But the mechanical man only spoke in weird sentences. "Pretty girls and pumpkinheads make chicken fly around coop…"

"Fly the coop!?" cried Billina. "I think you've lost your head, clock man!"

In the dungeon, the Scarecrow face palmed and sighed in exasperation, and then he grumbled in sarcasm. "Ugh. What a perfect time to lose your brain, Tiktok."

-0o0o0-

Meanwhile, Dorothy had found cabinet thirty and unlocked it with the ruby red key. When the lock turned, Dorothy slowly opened the glass cabinet. There, dozing off in cabinet thirty, was Langwidere's real and original head, and she looked absolutely grotesque and ugly. Dorothy shrieked as quietly as ever at the hideous looking head. But in the process, her hand accidently brushed against a canister, knocking it out of the cabinet. Dorothy quickly grabbed hold of the canister, as it was inches from hitting the ground.

"I told you that you would get it!" The Tiger whispered out to her from the end of the hall, with a pleased chuckle.

Dorothy looked at the canister's label. Powder of Life, is what it read. Dorothy smiled and sighed with relief. She had gotten the powder, without even waking up Langwidere. But, when Dorothy had taken the powder, not only did she knock it out of the cabinet, but she had knocked a small vile off the shelf and it fell to the floor with a clank. The eyes of the hideous head snapped open, looking at a shocked Dorothy with fury in her eyes.

"DOROTHY GAAAAALE! The head wailed her name in an ugly voice.

The other heads of every female woke up in surprise and began screaming. Even Glinda's head woke up and she screamed, but it merely sounded like "Run, Dorothy, run!"

The headless body of Langwidere sat up from the bed, glancing over in Dorothy's direction. Dorothy froze in fear as the headless body stalked toward her, the arms outstretched to grab her and making frightening gurgling noises.

"DOROTHY GAAAAALE!"

But without a head, the princess could not see. This gave the Tiger the chance to knock the headless body down with a roar.

Then, he grabbed Dorothy's shoulder and shook her rapidly, the Tiger shouted, "Never freeze in front of a predator, babe! It'll give her the chance to kill you! Now c'mon!"

Having snapped back to reality, Dorothy locked the cabinet with the ruby red key and followed the Tiger, who lead the way to escape. The headless body got back up on her feet and, instead of going after Dorothy, it went straight for the screaming hall of heads.

The two of them fled into the hall of mirrors, but they could still hear Langwidere's enraged screaming from her bedchamber behind them.

"NOBODY RUNS AWAY FROM ME! NOBODY RUNS AWAY FROM LANGWIDERE!"

The Tiger suddenly halted. He looked around the room, looking confused.

"What's the matter?" asked Dorothy.

"I don't remember which door we used to get in here!" exclaimed the Tiger, frantically.

But luck was on their side. Dorothy spotted a ghostly green mist in the shape of a girl in one mirror on the far right side of the room. The ghost seemed to be beckoning her to come to the mirror, as it mysteriously opened and revealed the secret staircase that led up to the Wizard's chamber.

"D-D-Did you see that?" Dorothy pointed to the open door. "There was a…"

"Hey, what do you know? I must've left the door open when we came down." The Tiger immediately bolted up the staircase, not paying attention to what Dorothy tried to tell him.

"DOROTHY GAAAAALE!"

The wicked princess' gruesome wailing frightened Dorothy so much that she bolted right up the staircase, but not before shutting the door and locking it. Dorothy rushed up the stairs and burst into the Wizard's chamber.

When Jack saw her enter, he sighed with relief. "Oh, Dorothy! Thank goodness you're alright!"

"Where have you been?" asked the Tiger, worriedly.

"I was, distracted by something." Dorothy decided to forget what she had seen in the mirror, for now. "But never mind that. Langwidere's awake!"

"Oh no!" cried Jack, fearfully.

"It's about time you got back! Tiktok went berserk!" Billina exclaimed, impatiently.

Tiktok wandered aimlessly around the room. "Tickle…pickle…me…"

"His brain has run down." Dorothy rushed toward Tiktok and started winding up his thinking.

"Oh, good grief." Billina rolled her eyes in agitation.

"But if his brain's run down, how can he talked?" asked Jack.

"It happens to people all the time, Jack," replied Dorothy.

"Oh, thank you, Dorothy. I'm alright now," said Tiktok, right after Dorothy finished winding him up.

Dorothy gestured to the door. "Go to the door and look out for Langwidere."

"Yes, ma'am." Tiktok saluted as he walked toward the door.

"I'll stick with you," said the Tiger, following the mechanical man.

There was no time to lose. Dorothy sprinkled the powder of the contraption. She waited for the thing to come to life but nothing happened.

"It's not working!" cried Dorothy.

"Oh, maybe there were some magic words," Jack said, thoughtfully.

"What were they? Think Jack!" Dorothy pleaded, desperately. "You've got to remember!"

"But I wasn't alive at the time! How can I remember then?"

"Try reading the directions, Dorothy," Billina suggested. "Hickory had instructions when he once built that crazy contraption of his."

Dorothy read the back label on the canister. "I don't understand these words!"

"Well read them anyway!" said Woodenhorse. "We don't have much time!"

"Weaugh…..Teaugh…..Peaugh!"

"Peaugh?" The Gump said suddenly in a deep voice. His head began to move and his eyes blinked in surprise.

"It worked!" Dorothy cheered while she and Jack shared a big hug.

"Well, that's some powder," Woodenhorse chuckled.

But downstairs in the bedchamber, Mombi, who had been woken up by the screaming, burst into Langwidere's chamber and watched as Langwidere threw a chair into the glass cabinet of Number Thirty to retrieve her head, still growling in anger.

"Were you sleep-walking or did you have a bad dream?" The wicked witch asked, sarcastically. Then she noticed something was missing among her supplies of potions and powders inside the cabinet, and her reaction was almost the same as Langwidere. "Where's my Powder of Life!?"

"Dorothy Gale has stolen your powder and is, as I suspect, planning to escape!"

"Then we shall see about that!" Mombi snarled. "C'mon, let's go!"

Upstairs, Tiktok and the Tiger heard an angry voice and feet coming up the staircase.

"I WILL STOP YOU!"

"Uh oh! Langwidere is coming!" Tiktok turned to his comrades, as he and the Tiger barred the door with their all their strength.

"Quick! We gotta go!" Woodenhorse exclaimed, jumping into the new flying contraption.

Billina fluttered in whilst Dorothy climbed in, then helped Jack get into the thing. A loud banging made the door barge as Langwidere could be heard pounding against the door.

"The door is starting to give!" cried Tiktok.

"We can't hold it!" shouted the Tiger.

"Time's up! Hurry, jump in!" Woodenhorse called out, desperately.

Tiktok and the Tiger leapt into the middle of the thing as Dorothy shouted, "Can you flap your wings, Mr. Gump?"

"Wings? I don't have any wings." The Gump glanced at the waving palm fronds tied to the sofas. "Oh, I guess I do."

"Please hurry up and fly us out of here! We're in hot water right now!" Dorothy shouted.

The thing started to move and lift in the air, just as the door burst open. Mombi and Langwidere stormed into the chamber, shooting looks of daggers.

"SO…..you thought you could get away, eh?" Mombi cackled.

"You can't escape from us!" Langwidere shouted.

Dorothy screamed when the two witches entered. The Gump flew towards the barred window and crashed right through it. As soon he had done that, the Gump went over the edge and plummeted toward the earth. The entire group screamed their heads off as gravity pulled them down to the city below. Mombi and Langwidere cackled with glee, thinking they were about to fall to their demise.

"Fly! FLY!" Dorothy screamed at the top of her lungs.

At the last moment, the Gump spread his palm frond wings and took flight.

"You did it! Hooray!" Dorothy cheered, and so did everyone else.

The Gump soared across the gloomy Emerald City and over the high wall. The Scarecrow, who had seen everything in the mirror, released his breath and sighed with heavy relief.

But Mombi and Langwidere watched in fury as the escapees flew out of the Emerald City. With the aide of the broomstick, Mombi and Langwidere flew downstairs and down to the courtyard where the wheelers and winged baboons slept.

"WAKE UP! ALL OF YOU! GET UP!"

Langwidere shrieked and both armies awoke with alarm and screamed in surprise. "Look! Dorothy Gale is escaping!" The princess pointed up to the sky and both armies gazed up in horror. "Go and get them back for us! All of you! Go, go, go!"

The wheelers scrambled on their wheels and immediately rolled away. The winged baboons saluted and they took to the skies as Mombi screamed the same line her cousins used when they ordered winged monkeys or baboons to attack.

"Fly! Fly! Fly, my darlings! FLYYYYY!"

"And make sure you bring back that chicken!" added Langwidere, as soon as the last wheeler and winged baboon left the Emerald City. "And don't come back without that chicken!"

-0o0o0-

"You know, the last thing I remember is walking through the forest," the Gump explained to his passengers. "Then I heard a loud noise. And now, here I am flying through the sky. What am I anyway?"

"You're a…thing, with a gump's head on it," said Dorothy. "We built you and brought you to life so we can rescue the Scarecrow and all my friends all being held captive in the Nome King's mountain."

The Gump chuckled. "I may not last very long. I'm not feeling very well put together."

"Oh, please, don't say that." Jack sighed.

"How do we know where to land? It's dark out here," said Woodenhorse.

"We must keep flying until morning comes. When we arrive at the Nome King's mountain, maybe then we can find a safer place to land."

"That's a good idea, Tiktok." Dorothy smiled. "Gump, if you please, we would like to fly straight ahead?"

"I don't I can turn if I wanted to," the Gump chuckled.

"Why don't we just fly back to Kansas?" Billina yawned, nesting herself close to Dorothy, who had also begun to feel tired.

"Whatever happens, I'm awfully tired right now, and I'm lucky to have my own head to be tired with." Dorothy yawned and dozed off on the sofa in a deep sleep.

Everyone watched Dorothy fall asleep and smiled. Jack took off his green scarf and wrapped it around Dorothy's neck gently so she wouldn't feel a chill.

"Goodnight, Dorothy," the pumpkin man whispered in a sweet, soothing tone.

Woodenhorse looked over at the Tiger. "Say, uh, Tiger, are you feeling alright? You haven't said anything since we escaped."

The Tiger looked up at the wooden carousel horse. His eyes looked watery and his cheeks turning green. "I didn't want to say this but…..I get airsick and…"

"If you're gonna do whatcha gotta do, do it overboard," said Woodenhorse.

"And that's not all…"

"What is it?"

"I wet the sofas when we escaped."

Everyone onboard groaned in complete disgust. Jack and Tiktok edged away from the large beast so not to feel any wet warm spots.

"Eew, did you have to?" grumbled Woodenhorse.

"I thought we were going to die!" retorted the Tiger.

-0o0o0-

Back at the Emerald Palace, Mombi watched through her green crystal ball to look for any sign of Dorothy and her companions. Langwidere just sat in her chair, strumming her lute. Slight movement came from within the mirror as the green misty ghost Dorothy had seen earlier lurk around the mirrors, as if trying to find a way out. Langwidere nodded toward the mirror for Mombi to look, and the wicked witch smirked evilly. "Oh, Ozma, you should give up already. Nobody's going to help you. Nobody knows exactly where you are. There's nobody left who even knows _who_ you are."

_**Author's Note – The next chapter will be an exciting pursuit and escape from the winged baboons as Dorothy and the gang try to make it to the Nome King's mountain. The wheelers don't do very well because they can't cross the desert. And another upcoming song right after the chase. You know, when I watch the Wicked Witch of the West, Evanora, and the Jester order their monkeys to fly, I can't help but feel that ordering monkeys or baboons to attack or fly must run in the family.**_


	9. The Flight of the Gump

The wheelers, meanwhile, were on chase patrol as they pursued the flying Gump from ground below, through a dark forest. Their howls and wails of maniac laughter reached the ears of the nauseous Tiger.

"Hey, look down there!" Everyone looked in the direction of his pointing finger to the earth far below.

"Who are those guys?" asked the Gump.

"Those are the wheelers," explained Tiktok. "They work for Langwidere, that horrid princess."

"Uh, Mr. Gump, can't you fly any faster?" Jack asked, nervously.

"Not unless of course one of you wants to jump off," said the Gump.

Jack looked over at the mechanical man. "Tiktok…..you're the heaviest."

"Humph!" Tiktok glared at the pumpkinhead.

Woodenhorse nodded his head to the Tiger. "What about him? He eats a lot, which makes him the heaviest."

The Tiger flashed a threatening frown with his sharp fangs. "Don't get any ideas!" He glanced over at the pumpkin man. "Maybe if we throw him overboard, his head will splatter and turn him into a squash."

"If you throw me overboard, Dorothy will flip her lid!" Jack glared at the Tiger with a severe expression.

Down below, the wheelers rolled at almost incredible speed trying to catch up to the flying Gump. However, their pursuit came to an end when they reached the edge of the desert. The wheelers gaped as they screeched to a halt. Some of the wheelers couldn't stop in time and tumbled into the sandy field. The second they touched desert sand, their bodies turned to sand and immediately disintegrated.

"Deadly Desert!" cried the Head Wheeler, as he and the rest of his gang stood beyond the desert sands, watching their comrades die before their very eyes.

"Deadly Desert!" screamed the rest of the wheelers in fear.

Watching the Gump fly off into the night, the wheelers had no choice but to let them go.

This infuriated Langwidere as both she and Mombi watch this happen through Mombi's crystal ball.

"Argh, those cowards!" Langwidere yelled, angrily. "Now Dorothy Gale will reach the Nome King's mountain and…"

"Ah, ah, ah. Wait a minute, princess." Mombi held up a patient hand to silence the princess. "We still have my precious baboons. They can cross the desert easy, and they'll rip those raggle taggle fools to pieces."

Langwidere nodded when she heard this and, along with Mombi, smiled wickedly.

"We're flying over the Deadly Desert," said Tiktok, sighing with relief. "Those wheelers won't bother us anymore."

"Ha!" Woodenhorse laughed. "Those creeps on wheels think they're so tough, but they're just as cowardly as…"

"If you call my pal, Lion, a coward, then you're gonna be sorry!" The Tiger growled in a threatening voice.

Woodenhorse rolled his eyes. "Never mind."

But suddenly they heard eerie howls and the flopping of wings, and as the sound grew nearer to them, everyone looked up. The rays of light from the full moon were darkened by creatures with large wings.

"I smell flying baboons!" exclaimed the Tiger.

"Flying baboons?" The Gump glanced at the great beast with a look of doubt. "Don't be ridiculous. Baboons don't fly. They like to hang around in the jungle and eat bananas…"

The hideous face of a winged baboon shot out from the clouds and roared menacingly.

"Aaaah!" The Gump was so frightened that he jumped. His passengers bounced a little in their ride, thus waking Dorothy and Billina from their slumber.

"What, what? What's going on?" Billina looked around in alarm.

Dorothy gazed up in horror when she caught sight of the winged baboons. One of caught hold of her arm and attempted to pull her into the air. Dorothy screamed, but Jack grabbed her other arm and a game of tug of war began between Jack and the flying baboon as they struggled to pull at Dorothy. The Tiger came to the rescue as he slashed the flying baboon with his sharp claws, sending the creature flying back and releasing his hold on Dorothy.

"Jack, you keep Dorothy safe while the rest of us hold them off!" shouted the Tiger.

Jack saluted obediently. Then he wrapped his arms around Dorothy, dragging her lower to the soft cushions of the sofa, and shielded his wooden body over her so neither of the winged baboons could grab her again. Dorothy held Billina in her arms so the baboons wouldn't try to take her away again.

A flock of winged baboons flew down upon them with screams of rage. Their sharps teeth and claws threatening to do damage to the riders. But these brave riders gave the baboons no chance to harm them. The Tiger let out a great roar and lashed out to strike at his enemies. He fought those baboons as lethally as any tiger would. His powerful claws gave the winged baboons red scars, and his brutal strength gave the baboons what for. When he caught some of them trying to untie the ropes that held the sofas together, the Tiger attacked them so furiously that the winged baboons flew off. Some of the winged baboons went to attack Tiktok. Just like in his fight with the wheelers, Tiktok began spinning around uncontrollably, swinging his arms and fists in the air, striking out at the baboons with several blows. Others of the baboons rushed at Woodenhorse, but he kicked out so viciously with his wooden legs, either front or back, that he beat off as many assailants as did his comrades.

A few baboons grabbed hold of the Gump's face trying to yank his head right off the sofa. "Get out of my face!" The Gump growled angrily.

"Can't you fly any faster?" shouted Billina.

"That's just what I had in mind!" The Gump responded with renewed energy.

Waving his wings wildly and furiously, the Gump began to pick up speed. The strong breeze of his wings blew the winged baboons a good distance from him. Like the speed of a jet plane, the Gump soared swiftly and majestically through the sky. The riders clung to the backs and sides of the sofas for support as they felt the Gump's swift movement throw them back slightly. The flying baboons howled furiously and they followed the Gump in hot pursuit.

The chase came to a range of very high, tall, sandstone pillars and mountains spreading across the desert landscape. The Gump swayed in and out between the pillars. Some of the winged baboons hit smack face in the sandstone pillars, others bounced off them like rubber balls, most of them kept on with their pursuit. When they flew a little too close to pillar's side, the Gump tipped over a bit and Tiktok got hit in the head. But Jack had been flung out to the side. He grasped onto the rope for dear life. Dorothy grabbed hold of his wrists and tried hard to pull him back to safety.

"Gump, watch where you're flying!" The mechanical man called out.

"Aah! Pull me up! Pull me up!" Jack screamed, his legs dangling in the air and avoiding to get hit from the pillars.

"Hang on, Jack! I've got you!" yelled Dorothy.

The Tiger curled up into a ball whilst his face turned green.

"Don't barf on us now, pussycat!" exclaimed Woodenhorse.

But the poor Tiger couldn't hold it in any longer. He leaned over to the back of the sofas and vomited really loudly. The leader of the winged baboons had flown rather closely to the flying gump until he caught sight of what was coming straight at him.

_SPLOOSH!_

Dorothy and Jack, still clinging to each other, looked away when the baboon leader came in contact with the tiger's vomit.

"Ugh, that's gross!" said Dorothy.

"Ah, did he have to do that?" questioned Jack.

Tiktok waddled over to Dorothy and, with his own strength, helped pull Jack back into the safety of the sofas.

When the rest of the winged baboons caught up to their leader, they gagged in shocked disgust. Then putting it to the side, they continued their pursuit.

"My bad." The Tiger gave a sheepish grin as everyone stared at him.

"What's going on back there?" asked the Gump, unaware of the events that happened.

"Nothing. It was nothing." Billina fiddled, trying to make an excuse. "Try flying into the clouds!"

"You got it, lady!"

The Gump soared higher and higher, flying in the direction of the grey clouds ahead of them. Just as the flying baboons were about to catch up to them, the Gump disappeared within the clouds and was out of sight.

The winged baboons halted in their tracks when they lost their prey. But after looking at the splash of green on their leader's face, and the injuries they received from the tiger, they had enough. Giving up, the winged baboons turned and flew back in the direction of the Land of Oz.

-0o0o0-

This did not please Mombi at all when she had witnessed this through the crystal ball. "No! No, no, no, no! What are you doing!? You fools! YOU'RE LETTING DOROTHY GALE ESCAPE!"

In the mirror, the green misty ghost figure watched with worry as Mombi fumed over her minions' cowardice. She prayed silently that Dorothy would not come to harm and would reach Nome Mountain in one piece.

"So now what do we do?" Langwidere complained, who was just as upset as the witch was.

Mombi waved her broomstick scepter in the air in a rage. "If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself!"

-0o0o0-

"They're not following us anymore," said Dorothy, right after their escape from those winged monsters.

"Whew! That sure was a close one." The Tiger wiped his brow in relief. "I just hope we don't run into those flying freaks next time."

"Great idea of losing them in the clouds, Billina." Tiktok tipped his hat politely to the lady hen, who blushed.

"Aw, it was nothing." Then, Billina let out a tiny yawn. "Now I think I'm ready to go back to sleep." She plopped her body down on Dorothy's lap.

Dorothy also yawned and she lay back down on the soft cushion. "Wake us when we get there."

"Okay m…I mean, Dorothy." Jack covered his mouth in surprise. He looked down at the sleeping farm girl and felt that he could see many of his mom's traits in the young girl. She was just like her in many ways; caring for him, protecting him, cheering him up when he was troubled, and very beautiful.

"Dorothy…?"

"Yes, Jack?"

"Dorothy, may I call you mom, even if it isn't so? But you remind me so much of her."

Grinning hugely, Dorothy nodded.

Jack felt his heart lightened. "Oh, thank you, mom."

Then closing her eyes and yawning once more, Dorothy drifted off into slumber.

-0o0o0-

As for the Scarecrow, he continued to reply the episodes of his anger and resentment for the wheeler that tried to put the moves on Dorothy, and what he had felt when he first had his glimpse of Dorothy all grown up. The Wizard gifted him with the best brains in all of Oz, but he didn't wonder about this feeling he now felt for his best friend. Anybody else would've flustered in confusion over such a feeling, but he was in feeling of denial.

"Why am I feeling this way toward Dorothy? She's just a friend. She's just a kid. Nothing more." He muttered under his breath. "I was just concerned about her safety, that's all! I didn't mean that literally." He thought back to the image where Dorothy cried in her prison in the Wizard's chamber. "She's been very lonesome without me and I want to be there with her. Dorothy has been getting into a lot of trouble recently and I want to protect her. I can't bear the thought of losing her."

He remembered how the winged monkeys kidnapped her and how scared he felt for her, but he would never forget how she saved his life when the Wicked Witch attempted to burn him. The one memory that scared him the most was the time Dorothy nearly drowned after plummeting over the waterfall and the Jester rubbing it in his face. The Scarecrow had fallen into despair since then, but he was truly relieved when she had shown up to rescue him. The image of that spunky twelve year old Dorothy transforming into the beautiful eighteen year old Dorothy replayed in his mind. Her long hair swaying from side to side when she shakes her head, her eyes showing more brilliance than stars in the night sky, her mermaid voice ringing through his ears, the kindness she had shown him when they first met. The feeling of himself falling in love with her made him shiver, but in a good way. It's no surprise to the straw man to understand this emotion he had come to embrace.

"I guess I…..I really am in love with her. But, what if she doesn't love me?" The Scarecrow felt his own eyes get droopy and he leaned back against the stone wall. "All this worrying is making me tired. I have nothing to worry about now that Dorothy is safe and protected." Yawning slightly, the Scarecrow fell into a deep sleep.

-0o0o0-

_Dorothy found herself alone in the Emerald palace ballroom. She didn't know why she would dream of being here of all places, but it was definitely beautiful._

"_Dorothy? Is that you?"_

_A familiar voice asked a familiar question. Dorothy glanced over her shoulder and gasped in delight._

"_Scarecrow!"_

_Both became ecstatic as they rushed toward each other, arms outstretched, grinning hugely. The Scarecrow caught Dorothy in his embrace, holding her close to his chest. Dorothy nuzzled her face in his shoulder and neck, crying softly._

"_Oh, I was so worried about you." sobbed Dorothy. "I thought I'd never see you again."_

"_Exactly my thoughts, kiddo, because I was worried about you too," the Scarecrow said, comfortingly. "You've really grown up over the years. You look very pretty." He blushed from the compliment._

"_Thank you." Dorothy giggled._

_Looking at the location around him, the Scarecrow had an idea. Holding out his hand and bowing, he asked, "Since we're in the ballroom, would you care to dance with me?"_

"_I'd love to!" Dorothy replied, taking his gloved hand._

_The Scarecrow took her to the middle of the dance floor right as the music plays for both of them. The straw man king felt a tingling when he placed his free hand on Dorothy's waist and the touch of Dorothy's other free hand on his shoulder._

_And when their waltz began, Dorothy looked like an angel dancing on a cloud. She was spun and twirled about. The Scarecrow always believed he was a clumsy dancer, even after meeting Dorothy, but he had become so much better and less clumsy, that he became a popular dancer. A moment like this is where everything comes together, beautiful moments that feels like heaven, or the feeling of falling in love._

_**I finally found someone**_

_**That knocks me off my feet**_

_**I finally found the one**_

_**That makes me feel complete**_

_**It started at a cornfield**_

_**We started out as friends**_

_**It's funny how from simple things**_

_**The best things begin**_

_**This time is different**_

_**And it's all because of you**_

_**It's better than it's ever been**_

_**Cause we can talk it though**_

_**My favorite line was "I'll miss you most of all"**_

_**It's all you had to say**_

_**To take my breath away**_

_**This is it**_

_**Oh, I finally found someone**_

_**Someone to share my life**_

_**I finally found the one**_

_**To be with every night**_

_**Cause whatever I do**_

_**It's just got to be you**_

_**My life has just begun**_

_**I finally found someone**_

_It was about now something happened in that moment. Something indescribable passed through Dorothy when she was brought very closely to the Scarecrow's face. She felt a warm feeling that had never been there before. Dorothy felt her heart pounding so fast and released a small gasp from her lips. She was no stranger to boys flirting with her or trying to ask her out on dates back in school. But none of these dates worked out because some of them only liked her for her looks while most of them turned out to be arrogant jerks that wanted her for themselves. But having her old friend right in front of her, dancing with her, and so close to his face that she found his intelligent blue eyes alluring, she felt butterflies in her stomach. Now she could not help but feel something more for him. But it suddenly felt silly to her and so wrong when she pushed herself out of his arms, turning her back to him so he wouldn't see the pained look on her face._

"_Dorothy, what's wrong?" The Scarecrow asked, concerned._

"_Well, you're a scarecrow and I…" Dorothy fumbled, "we're different, you and I. It could never work."_

_The Scarecrow frowned in disappointment. "I thought so."_

_And then, Dorothy's brain played the memories of the time he lead the rescue of her capture from the Wicked Witch, very nearly got burned by the Witch's broomstick when she attempted to destroy him, and the cruel torture he had to suffer under the Jester. She felt very worried and scared for his safety as well as the safety of her other friends, but there was lightness in her heart when she reunited with him twice, safe and sound._

"_But then, you have been my first friend and you always cared about for me." She turned to him, her lips curving into that ever so famous smile. "You're book-smart, intelligent, and a great inventor. I even told you that I would miss you most of all." Her words had a feeling of admiration and endearment, and the Scarecrow felt his heart flutter to hear her say such things to him. _

_Then, Dorothy remembered reading an interesting book she found in the town library. It was a traditional fairy tale, a tale about a beautiful girl who met a hideous beast. But as she spent more time with him, the girl could see that beneath his ugly appearance beats a heart of gold. In the end, the beast transformed into a handsome prince and married the girl. Dorothy immediately felt she could relate to the beauty and felt that a lesson was given to her from that book._

"_Never judge someone by how they look on the outside; it's what's inside that someone that counts. That's what's makes someone beautiful." And if she were like the beauty, then the Scarecrow would be…well, not think of him like a beast. More like a poor lonely soul with no one to love._

"_That's beautiful," smiled the Scarecrow, slowly approaching her. "Where did you learn that?"_

"_Oh, it's just something I read from a book once," said Dorothy._

_The Scarecrow placed both hands on her shoulders and requested, "Dorothy, I want you to promise me something."_

_"What is it?"_

_"Promsie me that you won't go confronting the Nome King on your own. You've done it before with the Jester and you were helpless against him."_

_This upset Dorothy briefly. "But if something bad did happen to my friends because of their involvement with me, I might go after this Nome King guy myself."_

_"Dorothy!" The Scarecrow almost yelled in a stern tone, but he relaxed himself quickly. "I want you to promise me that you won't place yourself in danger."_

_Dorothy glanced up at him. The look in his blue eyes told her that he was serious. Sighing in defeat, Dorothy opened her mouth to speak when she suddenly vanished._

_"Dorothy? Dorothy, where are you?" The Scarecrow looked around frantically. There was no sign of Dorothy. She was gone. The entire ballroom seemed to be fading away into darkness._

_"DOROTHY!"_

-0o0o0-

Everything flashed white and for a second there was nothing but bright light. The light faded away when the Scarecrow woke up screaming Dorothy's name. His heart stopped when he was face to face with one of the rock minions.

The rock minion grabbed an icy grip on the straw man's wrist, the hand that held the mirror. "So, you've been spying on your girl, eh?"

The Scarecrow grew alarmed. He had dozed off so soon that he had been careless to leave the magic mirror out. He tried to pull his arm back, but another rock minion appeared from within the wall and put him in a hammerlock. A larger rock figure rose up from the stone floor. The Scarecrow couldn't see who it was because of the darkness, but when he heard his deep rumbling voice, he knew instantly that it was his captor.

"It's not nice to hide secrets from me," he said, mockingly. "Why don't you let me take a peak on your friend?" He removed the mirror from the Scarecrow's grasp and looked into the mirror's image. A dark, sinister smile appeared on his lips. "Well, well. It looks like your beloved has reached the end of her rope."

The personage faced the mirror's image to his captive. The Scarecrow looked into the mirror and gasped in utter horror.

"MOM, THERE'S A STORM COMING!"

Dorothy had wakened to the sound of Jack's frantic wailing, which explaiend why she disappeared from their dream meeting. She looked around and saw nothing but black mist all around them. They were trapped within a storm of black clouds. Lightning cracked and the vibration of thunder shook the Thing violently.

The ropes that held the sofas together started to slip and break away. Luckily, Jack caught on end of the rope and the Tiger caught the other end of the rope. But Jack leaned too far and his pumpkin head slipped off.

"HELP ME, MOM! I'M FALLING!"

Dorothy gasped. "Oh no! Gump, dive!"

"I'm trying, but I wan't built to turn!" shouted the Gump.

Pullin in his palm fronds, the Gump plummed down after the carved pumpkin. Once she got close enough to it, Dorothy reached out and grabbed the head.

"I've got you, Jack!"

"Thank you, mom!"

Jack reached for his head to re-attach his head but let go of the rope in the process. Tiktok quickly grabbed hold of the rope.

Just then, a black cloud in front of them shapeshifted into the wicked face of Mombi. "Sorry, your flight's been cancelled," she yelled in a booming voice. "I'm afraid you'll have to land. So I'll be seeing you _next fall!_"

The wicked witch cackled loudly as an enormous lightning bolt was conjured up and sent hurling straight at Dorothy and her friends, all letting out screams of sheer terror. There was an explosion when the bolt struck the Thing and everyone else onboard.

"NO!" hollered the Scarecrow.

When the explosion ended, his captive threw the mirror against the stone wall, breaking its glass reflection and destroying its magic.

"Looks like Mombi did a job well done," the mystery personage chuckled cruelly.

The two rock minions chortled with him. "Say goodbye to Dorothy Gale, lover boy."

Their mockery and jeering reminded the Scarecrow when the Jester once shoved it in his face about Dorothy's suppose demise over the waterfall. She survived it, but it looked like she could never survive a lightning that big and powerful. His heart fell when he was forced to accept it. However, his feelings of grief and despair soon turned to anger and rage. The Scarecrow glared up at his unknown captor seeing red.

"YOU MURDERER! I HAVE SEEN SOME DISGUSTING FREAKSHOWS IN MY TIME, BUT _YOU_ TAKE THE CAKE!"

His captor didn't take kindly to insults, so he struck him down with a single blow. The Scarecrow dropped to the floor with such force. Before going unconscious, the last he thing he saw were the rock minions reaching out to grab him.

_**Author's Note - Very dramatic, I know. But don't worry, Dorothy and the gang will be okay. The song I put in for Dorothy and Scarecrow's dream meeting was Bryan Adams and Barbra Streisand singing I Finally Found Someone. There will be another Bryan Adams song in the end, but I won't tell. Another Dan Aykroyd line from Ghostbusters was used in at the end of this chapter cause I've been wanting to save it for something like this.**_


	10. The Iron Giant with the Mallet

Dorothy Gale lay unconscious in the snow after her near death encounter with a lightning bolt created by Mombi. Suddenly, her eyes fluttered open and she sat upward. Looking around, she saw her precious flying machine damaged, but not entirely. Leaning against the rocky wall the Gump's head still tied to the sofa. The other sofa and the two palm fronds were gone. Tiktok's legs waved aimlessly in the air when they stuck out from the snow. Jack had landed safely on the sofa with his pumpkin head upside down on his neck, and the cushions made a good pillow to keep his head from splattering. Woodenhorse lay in the snow, on his back, his legs dangling in the air. The Tiger lay close by, his body sizzling and his fur static due to being electrified by Mombi's bolt. Billina popped out from the snow, shaking the snow off her little body and cackling in annoyance.

"Whew! That was some crash landing," said Billina. Then she looked at her tail and it was sizzling with gray burnt feathers. "Now I know how the other chickens felt when they've been fried."

"Is everyone okay?" Dorothy asked aloud, with concern.

The Tiger was the first to get up. "I'm okay here, kid."

Woodenhorse managed to turn himself over and stand up on his own four legs again. "Affirmative."

"Are you okay, Gump?" Dorothy asked.

"I'm just glad I don't have my normal body," said the Gump. "Otherwise I'd be paralyzed."

"I'm alright here." Jack looked at everybody in front of him, noticing the way things seemed different with his head upside down. "Why is everybody standing on their heads?"

Woodenhorse rolled his eyes, then he stood up on his back legs, grabbed the jack-o-lantern head, and set it right side up on Jack's wooden neck.

"Oh, thank you, Woodenhorse." Jack smiled, slightly embarrassed.

"Get me out of here!" Tiktok shouted from underneath the snow.

When the Tiger's paws made contact with Tiktok's feet, an electric spark zapped him briefly. "Ouch!"

"What happened?" Tiktok asked.

"Uh, nothing," said the Tiger, rubbing his paws. "Just hold still!" Grabbing his legs, the Tiger yanked Tiktok right out of the snow, despite the electric shocks he received from the copper man. By the time Tiktok was up and about, the Tiger rubbed his paws against the snow hopping the shock would go away.

Dorothy attempted to stand up, but quickly felt a sharp pain in her body and she cried out in agony.

"Dorothy, what's wrong?" Billina exclaimed, fluttered to her mistress' side in worry.

"I… I don't know…" Dorothy gasped through her speech, "I can't… I feel weak."

"It's because you've been struck by the lightning, isn't it?" inquired Jack.

"If I see that witch again, I'll rip her to pieces for what she's done to you!" The Tiger roared furiously, unsheathing his claws.

"Never mind that," said Dorothy. "We must find the entrance to the Nome King's kingdom."

"But Mom, your hurt. And this Nome King guy might hurt you even more. Or worse. Maybe you should wait here and let us find the Nome King," Tiktok announced.

Everyone else seemed to agree with the mechanical man, but Dorothy refused. She thought about the dream she had and the Scarecrow trying to make her promise to never place herself in danger. She never gave him her answer when she got caught in the storm but if she kept her promise her friends will still be in grave danger.

"My friends are in trouble and I will not be left here while they're suffering. So I'm going with you." Dorothy declared, looking extremely serious.

"We can't put you in any more danger…" Tiktok stated before Dorothy interrupted.

"I've survived many dangers before!"

"But His Majesty, the Scarecrow, will never forgive us if something happened to you!"

"I don't care what he or anyone else thinks! I'm not a little girl anymore, so I can make decisions for myself! My friends need me and I will save them! Now we are going to find the Nome King's mountain, whether you want me with you or not!"

Everyone stared at Dorothy, taken aback and shocked. Despite the pain, Dorothy slowly got to her feet and managed to walk. She started along the first path she found. The rest of the group exchanged worried frowns before they started after Dorothy.

They trudged down a slushy and icy path through the mountain, and it grew difficult for the Gump to walk on, but with some assistance from the Tiger and Tiktok, he managed to get on. Dorothy had noticed that the mountain she and her friends had landed on had two high mountain tops which was to mark the home of this mysterious Nome King. The sides of the mountain got closer to them until they reached a narrow path between them, along which the group had to walk in a single file. Everyone had been quiet since they started their journey because they were deeply concerned and disconcerted with Dorothy, but Jack wanted to try and lighten things up.

"So, uh, Tiktok, who exactly built you?"

"I was built by Smith and Tinker, my manufacturers and inventors," explained Tiktok. "They delivered me to the Scarecrow to become a part of the Royal Army of Oz. They named me Tiktok because my wheels work like clockwork."

"Well, your name may be Tiktok, but at least your hasn't run out, eh?" Jack laughed, jokingly.

Woodenhorse, the Gump, and the Tiger all shook their heads, groaning in displeasure over the pumpkinman's joke.

"You're not helping, Jack," grumbled Billina.

"But everybody's so quiet and it's so boring!" Jack complained. "And I'm worried about mom, she's still hurt."

"Oh, she's been hurt a lot recently before coming to Oz."

"What do you mean?"

"Before coming back to this weird place, Dorothy's aunt and uncle forced her to go to a hospital where doctors were to give her an electric shock treatment to get her to stop thinking about Oz."

"Say what!?" The Tiger stared down at the hen in disbelief. "I was told that Dorothy's aunt and uncle were good people!"

"Well, they never believed a word of Oz whenever Dorothy spoke of it," said Billina. "They think it's just a figment of her imagination or such nonsense."

Everyone looked at Dorothy with sympathy and sorrow.

"Poor kid," said Woodenhorse, sounding angry. "What kind of relatives is she living with anyway!?"

"They must sound like very bad people," said Tiktok, who looked just as angry at the carousel horse.

The others agreed with him until Woodenhorse exclaimed, "Hey, what do you mean by weird place!?"

Dorothy, who had trudged on further ahead, listened the entire conversation. She began to wonder about how Aunt Em and Uncle Henry are dealing with her disappearance back in Kansas. She thought it would serve them right for sending her to that awful clinic, but it they would grieve for her thinking she had perished in the river she escaped in with that strange blonde girl. And poor Toto would be dreadfully worried about her. Dorothy wished he was here with her to comfort her and to be at her side like always.

All of a sudden, the entire mountain shook violently and distant thumping sounds echoed everywhere. Everyone screamed as they were thrown off track. But they made a dash for it around the corner when some of the rocks from above came tumbling down toward them. The thumping seemed to grow louder as they advanced.

Then, turning a corner of rock, they saw before them a huge statue, which towered above the path for more than a hundred feet. The gigantic statue was built out of cast iron and it stood with one foot on either side of the narrow road and it swung over its head ab immense iron mallet, with which it constantly pounded the earth. These resounding blows explained the thumping sounds they had heard, for the mallet was much bigger than a barrel, and it struck the path between the rocky sides of the mountain it filled all the space through the travelers should've passed if only without danger. But the group halted a safe distance away from the giant iron mallet.

"WHOA!" gasped the Tiger, with a shudder. "That is one big hammer for an iron giant!"

"One blow and I would be crushed into a doormat," said the Gump.

"Or, more likely, into a pancake," said Tiktok.

"There's an opening behind the iron the giant!" Dorothy pointed out.

"But that thing is keeping us from going any further," said Jack. "Isn't there a way for us to get through?" Suddenly, his eyes lit up when he came up with a plan. "I've got an idea!"

"You do? What is it?" Dorothy asked, anxiously.

"We have to run under the mallet, as quickly as we could, just as the mallet is lifted, then we could pass to the other side before it comes down again."

"That's a great idea, Jack! You're so smart." Dorothy smiled affectionately. Jack blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. The compliment she had given him made Dorothy remember how she complimented the Scarecrow on his idea to escape the Kalidahs.

Jack got onto the back of Woodenhorse, Dorothy and Tiktok climbed onto the Tiger's back. Billina decided to ride with the Gump, clinging to the rope that bound him to the sofa.

"Now if time it just right, we should all get through," announced Jack. "What do you guys think?"

"I'm gonna pray in my mind that we make it through alive," muttered Woodenhorse, who felt dubious about the plan.

"I think that if we all get killed, I'll never speak to you again," said the Gump.

"I think… all my keys are… winding… down…" Tiktok's body lowered toward Dorothy, his voice dying down like batteries running low and the clockwork in his body slowing.

"Please, Tiktok! Not now!" Dorothy exclaimed in agony.

Jack called everyone's attention as he eyed the giant's mallet. "Get ready…"

The iron giant lifted his mallet from the earth and…

"Now!"

The Tiger, the Gump, and Woodenhorse all made a sudden dash straight to the opening beneath the giant's legs. The iron giant's mallet came up to his head, just as Woodenhorse and the Gump made it safely to the other side. But because of the speed in the Tiger's running, Tiktok felt himself fall to the earth, and right in the path of the waiting mallet.

Dorothy looked back and gasped in horror. "Tiktok! Turn around, Tiger!"

"Oh, no! Not again." The Tiger didn't want to go back out there and get crushed by the mallet, but this is Tiktok they were talking about and he would surely get crushed if they didn't save him in time.

Once they made it outside and at Tiktok's side, Dorothy grabbed Tiktok's arm with one arm and shouted, "Now, Tiger! Run!"

"I-I-I can't! I'm scared!" The Tiger stood frozen in his spot with fear, without even budging an inch.

The iron giant's mallet started to move downward. Thinking fast, Dorothy kicked against the Tiger's waist very roughly, the same way she would do like riding on a horse. The sharp kick startled the Tiger so much that he bolted through the giant's legs, just as they were within a hair's breadth of being crushed by the descending mallet.

"You guys alright?" asked the Gump, concerned.

"We're alright." Dorothy said, as she dismounted from the Tiger, and began winding up all three of Tiktok's keys for action, voice, and thought.

"Oh, thank you both for saving me," Tiktok smiled gratefully. "You were very brave."

"Brave? I wasn't brave, I was scared!" The Tiger declared. "Now I know how Lion felt when he gets scared."

"Everybody gets scared, Tiger," Dorothy said, soothingly. "But all you needed was a little _boost_ of confidence in yourself. And you'll find that you're braver than you think."

The Tiger gave a hearty chuckle. "Yeah, your right. Thanks Dorothy. You mind if I faint for a while?"

"Uh… okay."

"Thank you."

And with that, the Tiger collapsed to the ground.


	11. Sad Reunion

"_Well, well, well. If it isn't the famous Scarecrow of Oz!"_

_The Scarecrow looked around. He found himself trapped in the courtyard of the castle of the late Wicked Witch of the West. But it wasn't the Witch's voice he heard. That voice belonged to the Jester, who was doing cartwheels while circling around him._

"_What's the matter? Cat got your tongue? Don't you have something to say to me, straw man… or should I call you Strawmeo?" he asked in a taunting way._

_The Scarecrow said nothing to him. He only glared daggers at him. Ever since he witnessed Dorothy's death, he felt nothing but anger and he directed it at the Jester. The Jester swung one arm around over his shoulders and the other hand squeezing at his cloth cheeks._

"_So Strawmeo, why did you build that rainbow mover thingy anyway? You can't deny the fact that there's something between you and Dorothy after all. Didn't she said that she's going to miss you most of all?"_

_The Scarecrow glared at him with fire in his eyes. "That is none of your business, joker." He said in a bitter tone._

"_Ha! Denial is a sign of your feelings! You're in love, Strawmeo!" The Jester cackled loudly._

_Several other voices chortled with him. The Scarecrow looked around in alarm. An army of flying monkeys, baboons, and even those nasty crows from the cornfield he came from perched themselves on the castle walls, all ridiculing him. The Scarecrow tried to ignore it, but he could feel it sink into his brain._

"_If you miss her so much, why don't we send you to join her? Right sis?"_

_Another personage entered the courtyard. The Scarecrow gasped when he recognized her. It was the Wicked Witch of the West._

"_Quite right, brother," the Witch replied cruelly. "It must be so devastating to lose everything precious to you, straw head. First, you lose Emerald City, then you lost your friends, and now you've lost the girl you love. Allow me to heal your pain."_

_The straws on her broomstick caught fire. The Scarecrow became frightened and he turned to run, but his feet had sunk through the stone floor like quicksand. The Wicked Witch moved closer to him, pointing her burning broomstick in his direction._

"_No! Oh, please! No, no!" The Scarecrow yelled._

_The Witch and the Jester cackled in union. "It's too late. You're all burned up scarecrow… scarecrow…"_

-0o0o0-

"…Scarecrow! Scarecrow, wake up! It's me!"

The Scarecrow shot upward panting heavily. His head bumped into someone else's head. Regaining himself, the Scarecrow glanced up to see the Tin Man rubbing his tin forehead. Standing beside him was the Lion, who looked down at him with concern.

"Tin Man! Lion! You're alive!" cried the Scarecrow, overcome with joy and relief to find his two best friends standing before him.

"Yeah, we're alive," the Lion said, shrugging his shoulders. "We've been locked in our dungeon since we got here – Oomph!"

The Scarecrow immediately threw both arms around the necks of his two pals, pulling them into a hug. The Lion and the Tin Man were caught off-guard for a moment, but they returned the embrace.

"I can't tell you how glad I am to see you guys!" The Scarecrow exclaimed, releasing them. "I could kiss you!"

"Then don't do it," said the Tin Man, waving his hands in his face so he wouldn't be kissed.

"What about us? We're over here." There came a female voice.

The Scarecrow looked over his friends' shoulders and gasped with delight. There stood the China Princess, who was being held by her fiancé, Marshal Mallow, and then there was Wiser, who casually adjusted his spectacles.

"Oh, thank goodness everyone is here." The Scarecrow sighed with relief. Then he looked at his surroundings. They were in a round domed cavern that was grandly furnished. In the center of the room was a throne carved out of solid boulder of rock glittering with gemstones of different color on every part of its surface. "Where are we?" he asked.

"This is the Nome King's throne room," answered Wiser. "It's hidden within the mountain we are in."

"The Nome King?" The Scarecrow looked confused. "Who is he?"

"The Nome King is the Ruler of the Underground World," explained Wiser. "There are many nomes that follow his orders and they create many fabulous gems. But they have no regard for earth dwellers like us, however, I have heard rumor that he was once involved with the Wicked Witches long ago."

"So what do we do now?" asked the Lion, impatiently.

"We wait for Dorothy to come to our rescue," Mallow replied. "She's our only hope."

"Well… she _was_ coming to save us," the Scarecrow said, disappointingly.

"Was?" Mallow looked at the Scarecrow confused.

"Well, it's a long story…" The Scarecrow hesitated before he told his friends what he had seen. "A mysterious woman, or a ghost to what she looked like, gave me a magic mirror so I could watch over Dorothy. I get so worried about her when she's out there in Oz, alone and unprotected, that I just wish I was there to protect her from Mombi and Langwidere."

"Don't worry, she'll be fine as long as Tiktok is with her," said the Tin Man, reassuringly.

"Yeah. Don't forget my buddy, the Hungry Tiger," added the Lion.

"Well, she did find them," explained the Scarecrow, "but she also made new friends like a pumpkinheaded man, a wooden carousel horse, and some sort of flying machine with a gump's head. Oh! And she brought a pet chicken named Billina with her. I watched them keep her safe from Mombi and the wheelers."

"So you don't have anything to worry about," said Wiser. "Dorothy is a strong girl and when she makes new friends, I'm sure they will keep her safe."

"You shouldn't worry too much," said the China Princess. "Dorothy is a brave girl. I'm sure she can take care of herself."

"But I get so scared when I watch her face many dangers without me to be there for her," added the Scarecrow, sadly.

"You sound like you're a little overprotective of her," said the China Princess.

"I know, but I hate it when I stand by and watch all the trouble Dorothy gets herself into," said the Scarecrow. "She took me off that pole in the cornfield long ago and she's been the first friend I ever had. She especially saved my life when the Wicked Witch tried to burn me."

"Don't forget the time she came to our rescue from the Jester," stated the Tin Man.

"Anyway, I did watch Dorothy come back to Oz with Billina," the Scarecrow continued on, "but you should know that Dorothy has returned to Oz, as a grown young woman."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Time out! Dorothy's grown up!?" The Lion interrupted in both surprise and disbelief.

"Yep! She's about eighteen years old now." He sighed dreamily as he remembered her beauty. "Oh, you should have seen how she looked. Her hair's gotten long, nearly as tall as us, and so beau-uh, better."

"You were going to say beautiful." The China Princess eyed him with a teasingly smile.

"No, I wasn't," the Scarecrow shook his head in denial.

"By your description of Dorothy grown up, it sounds like you developed a crush on her."

"No, I do not!" The Scarecrow yelled, feeling his burlap sack face turn as red as the rubies on the Nome King's throne.

"Denial is a sign of you admitting that you like her," the China Princess said, giggling.

The Scarecrow sighed in defeat when all eyes were on him. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Well, your face is turning red like the rubies on the throne," said Wiser. "So it is obvious that you're viewing Dorothy as more than a friend."

"Thanks for noticing that," the Scarecrow replied dryly. Then he decided to explain himself. "While I was watching her through the magic mirror, I thought she looked beautiful as a grown up. Then I felt angry and jealous when one of Langwidere's wheelers tried to flirt with Dorothy and I called him names like…"

"So it was you shouting ignorant disgusting blob," said the Tin Man. "That's very unlike you to say such a thing. And I thought Lion here had gotten himself into a fight with the nomes because that crown of his gets to his head."

"Knock it off, metal mouth!" snapped the Lion.

"AS I WAS SAYING…" The Scarecrow raised his voice loudly to get their attention and to keep them from fighting again, then he calmed down and continued on. "When I heard her singing when she was captured by Langwidere, her voice sounded like an angel from heaven. I think that's when I realized I've fallen in love with her. But when I had this dream about meeting Dorothy at the palace ballroom, I was so glad to see her, we even danced together, and I thought about telling her how I feel. However, Dorothy told me that we were different and it could never work, and I was heartbroken. Then she turned around and said how I had been her first friend and how much I cared for her, and all those other nice things she said to me. And when she said something about never judge someone by how they look on the outside because it's what's inside that counts, and that's what's makes someone beautiful."

The Tin Man put a hand to his chest where his heart is and began to sob. The Lion sniffed a little and Wiser wiped a tear from his eye.

"That sounds beautiful," sighed the China Princess.

"And did you tell her?" asked Mallow.

"I never did," said the Scarecrow, dejected. "All I did was made her promise me that she won't confront the Nome King by herself or place herself in more danger. She didn't give me her answer because she vanished. And when I woke up, the Nome King caught me with the mirror, but he forced me to watch Dorothy…"

The King of Oz stopped as he knew what he was going to say next. The news would hurt his friends as much as it hurt him.

"Spit it out! I want to know what happened. What did the Nome King force you to watch Dorothy do what?" exclaimed the China Princess impatiently.

"HE FORCED ME TO WATCH DOROTHY DIE! IS _THAT_ WHAT YOU WANTED TO KNOW!?" The Scarecrow screamed at her with pain and agony.

His comrades stared at him, incredulous to what their ears had heard.

"Y-You must be j-joking, right?" the China Princess asked, trying not to believe it.

"This is no joke!" shouted the Scarecrow, still in his painful tone. "Mombi created a storm to keep them from reaching the Nome King's mountain! She shot Dorothy and everyone else with a huge lightning bolt! I couldn't do anything to stop this because all I did was watch it happen while I was held prisoner! And now, Dorothy is dead for real this time!"

The Scarecrow collapsed to the floor on his knees, falling into, once again, despair. China Princess felt remorseful for asking about what happened, so she buried her head in her fiancé's jacket, sobbing. Mallow held her close to him as he felt his own sadness affect him. The Tin Man and his ever-emotional heart could simply not bear the news. The Lion and Wiser cried on each other's shoulders, and could not endure the anguish either.

"Such sad, sad faces." The Nome King chuckled, watching his prisoners in mourning from the shadows. "But they won't be sad for long."

"Why did you bring them out here, Your Majesty?" asked his rock minion.

"Because we will be expecting company soon," said the Nome King. "And I want them to be here when _she_ arrives."

"But, I thought Mombi killed her," said the rock minion, baffled.

"That's what I thought too. First, she survived the Jester's waterfall trick, and now this. Perhaps she is more powerful than we thought." The Nome King glanced up at the solid rock ceiling, and then turned to his minion. "Get up there and make sure she has arrived at the entrance."

The rock minion nodded and his face soon vanished as he made his way up to the surface.


	12. The Kingdom of the Nome King

By and by, Dorothy and the gang drew nearer to the mountain that blocked their path and which was the further-most edge of the Nome King's Kingdom, the way grew dark and gloomy for the reason that the high peaks on either side shut out the moonlight. And it was very silent too, except for their footsteps trudging through the snow and stopping at the mountain wall.

"Uh, excuse me, but uh, didn't the wheelers say something about the Nome King not liking chickens?" Billina asked.

"Oh, yes," answered Dorothy. "What should we do with Billina? We can't just leave her outside if we meet the Nome King."

"Put her in Jack's head. There's an opening in the top of his pumpkin head," suggested Woodenhorse.

Dorothy picked up Billina, took off the cap of his head, and carefully pushed Billina inside the carved head of the jack-o-lantern. Her little face peered out through Jack's hollow eyes.

"It's a bit snug in here, but it will do," said Billina.

"I wonder if we are close to the Nome King's castle," said Tiktok, feeling around the edges of the mountain wall.

"I hope so," sighed Jack, who sat down on a boulder. "We've been walking so long, my joints are close to wearing out."

"And I'm hungry!" complained the Tiger.

"You're always hungry!" retorted Woodenhorse. "My hooves are killing me. I wish I'd have a pedicure."

"Suppose I meet another gump in the Nome King's castle? I'd die a second time of embarrassment," grumbled the Gump.

"I don't you'll have to worry about meeting other gumps up here," assured Dorothy.

Suddenly, they heard a shout of jeering laughter, and everyone became startled with fright.

"Who's there?" Dorothy called out to the voices.

For a second there was no reply. Then in the gloom, they could see strange faces flit across the rocks above them. Whatever creatures they were they seemed very much like the rock itself for they had the same color and their shapes were as rough and rugged as if they had been broken away from the side of the mountain.

"We are rock fairies, the Nome King's loyal subjects," answered one of the rock fairies.

The Tiger sniffed the air suspiciously. "Do you suppose they're good to eat?"

"What do you think we're made of, stupid? Rock candy!" The rock fairies laughed mockingly.

"That's the stupidest joke I've ever heard," Jack elbowed the Tiger in the hip.

"And you're the stupidest joke I've ever seen!" sneered the rock fairy.

The rock fairies laughed, disheartening, and Jack grumbled in disappointment.

"Don't listen to them. They're just a bunch of bullies." Billina whispered to Jack from inside his pumpkin head.

"Excuse me, but we have traveled a long way to see the Nome King," Dorothy said, standing boldly before the rock fairies. "May we please have an audience with His Majesty?" she pleaded.

The rock fairies started to laugh again; but a low growl that shook the entire mountain terrified the rock fairies, and in a flash they had all vanished from sight. A giant face had formed on the rocky wall before them and spoke in a deep voice.

"Tell me who you are and why you have come on my mountain, and what can I do to make you happy?"

"It's the Nome King!" gasped Tiktok.

Dorothy gazed up at the giant rock face in stunned silence. Once again she felt like she was in déjà vu because twice she had encountered giant heads before. The first being the Wizard and the second being the Jester. The Nome King waited for an answer so Dorothy took courage and spoke in a deep bellowing voice.

"My name is Dorothy Gale, Your Majesty. And these are my close friends, Woodenhorse, Tiktok, Jack, Tiger, and Gump."

The dark hollow eyes of the Nome King gazed down at the young girl, studying her appearance before realizing she was telling the truth. "Not _the_ Dorothy Gale, the Witch and Jester Slayer of Kansas?" he gaped in amazement.

"Yes, Your Majesty," replied Dorothy. "We have come to ask you to release the Scarecrow and all my friends, and to restore the Emerald City."

"You believe that I have stolen, my dear, and you want me to give it back?" inquired the Nome King. "And what I don't want to give it back?"

Dorothy put on a very determined look. "Then my army shall conquer you and force you to do as I told you!"

"Army?"

The monarch looked down at Dorothy's friends, all trying to be brave but looked rather timid and frightened at facing him rather than conquering him. The Nome King started to laugh. As he did, the mountain shook making snow and rocks fall.

"Mom, why is he laughing at us?" Jack asked.

Instead of Dorothy answering, Woodenhorse growled, "It's because he's a creep!"

The more laughter the Nome King let out, the more the mountain shook violently and the rumbling got louder. The monarch coughed before laughing again, this time having the earth split open and Dorothy falling into the darkness.

"DOROTHY!" screamed a multitude of voices of her friends, watching Dorothy disappear beneath the earth.

As Dorothy fell deep into the dark cavern, she saw millions and layers of beautiful gemstones.

"All the precious gems in the world are made here in my underground domain," echoed the voice of the Nome King. "All made for me by my minions. So just imagine how I would feel when someone from the world above digs down and steals my treasures. All of those emeralds in the Emerald City really belong to me. I was just taking back what exactly was mine to begin with."

"You have so much," said Dorothy, looking at all the jewels.

"Beg pardon?"

"You have so much!"

"That's not the point, my dear. I'm not a thief. Your friend is the thief."

"Are you talking about…?"

The ride came to an end when Dorothy came sliding into the throne room through an open hole in the wall. She collided into someone and rolled over a few times from the impact. When stopping, Dorothy groaned a little, and then looked up into the face of the person whose embrace she landed in.

"Scarecrow!"

"Dorothy!"

The strawman king pulled her closer into his embrace. She wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Oh, I'm so glad I found you!" exclaimed Dorothy.

"Aw, I'm just so relieved that your alive," the Scarecrow smiled jovially.

"Dorothy!" cried a group of familiar voices.

Dorothy looked up and felt her heart leap with joy when she was surrounded by all her old friends. The Tin Man and the Lion pulled them both into a group hug. Wiser, Marshal Mallow, and China Princess soon joined them (China Princess was still being carried by Mallow so she gave Dorothy's shoulder a little hug).

At that moment, five more creatures slid into the throne room. Everyone looked back and saw Tiktok rolling along the stone floor like a bowling ball, the Tiger trying to stop himself sliding by digging his claws in the ground (and the position he was in reminded Dorothy of a scared cat), and Jack and Woodenhorse riding on the sofa of the Gump. These five collided into the surprised group and soon, everyone went tumbling over the floor and all over the place.

"Lion, old buddy! You're okay!"

"Tiger, old pal! You made it!"

The two big cats gave each a bone-crushing hug which didn't last long as they let go of the other.

"Thank you for keeping Dorothy safe, Tiktok. I knew I could count on you," the Scarecrow chuckled, shaking hands with the copper man.

"Just doing my duty, sir. But I'm just glad you're okay, Your Majesty," said Tiktok, who felt relieved to find the King of Oz safe and sound.

"And you must Jack Pumpkinhead," said Mallow, nodding his head to the jack-o-lantern politely. "My name is Marshal Mallow, the Second in Command of the Garrison at Candy County."

"Nice to meet you," said Jack. "And who is this?" He asked, looking at the China Princess.

"I am the Dainty China Princess of Dainty China Country," said the princess, curtsying. Then she noticed the Gump. "And, uh, who is this?"

"Just call me Gump, Your Highness," said the Gump, nodding his head. "I was built to be a flying machine, but I guess all I can do now is walk now that my wings are gone."

As Woodenhorse met Wiser, he stared at the large owl in mild bewilderment. "Whoa! You are a real faaa…aaantastic owl."

"Oh, thank you," smiled Wiser, unaware of what Woodenhorse almost said. "Dorothy once complimented me when we first met. But usually people call me fat when I first greet them."

"I can imagine why," Woodenhorse muttered under his breath.

"Oh, we were so worried about Dorothy," the Tin Man cried with tears of joy. "Scarecrow told us how you were hit by lightning and we all thought you were…"

"Wait! How did you know about that?" asked Dorothy, who was surprised to hear that her friends knew what had happened.

"Strawman says a ghost visited him in jail and gave him a magic mirror so he could watch you," said the Lion.

"I don't even know if it is a ghost or not, but I've kept watch over you during your adventures," said the Scarecrow. "I thought you were a goner when you got struck by lightning."

"Don't worry, guys," Dorothy grinned. "I'm fine. I made it here in one peace."

"Yeah, and what matters is we're all here together. Safe and sound." The Scarecrow chuckled heartily. Then he thought back to his dream world and decided that he should tell her how he truly felt for her.

"Dorothy?"

"Yes, Scarecrow?"

"I wanted to tell you this when we both shared the same dream. I lo…"

_FLASH!_

The sudden flashes of light made Dorothy shut her eyes. When she opened them, she found that, to her horror, the Scarecrow was gone.

"Scarecrow…"

And he wasn't the only one gone. The Tin Man, the Lion, Wiser, Mallow, and China Princess were all gone.

"Hey, where did everybody go?" Jacked wondered out loud.

"Maybe they're all invisible," suggested Tiktok.

"I wouldn't think so." Came the deep voice.

Everyone turned their heads sharply to the gem-decorated throne. Sitting upon his throne was the Nome King himself. He was a tall person, about as tall as the Scarecrow, Mallow, the Tin Man, and Jack. The man was clothed in a gray-brown garment that was the exact same color as his skin, his beard, and his crown, except that both his crown and robe were embedded with several colored jewels. Studying his appearance, Dorothy felt that he looked exactly like Dr. Worley.

"The Nome King," she muttered in mild awe.

"At your service," the king bowed his head.

"What have you done to our friends, fossil face!?" snapped Woodenhorse.

"Oh, I transformed them into little ornaments. Amusing and beautiful ornaments for my collection," chuckled the Nome King, acting like he didn't care. "I had been planning to do it for quite some time and you're coming here reminded me, my dear."

"Ornaments!?" gasped Dorothy.

Her friends' reactions were the same as hers.

"Want to know how I did it? I'll show you."

The king lifted the bottom of his robe up slightly so everyone could see his feet. Dorothy gasped at what she saw and thought she was going to faint in shock. There, resting within the feet of the wicked monach, were the magical ruby slippers.

"The ruby slippers!" gasped Dorothy. "How did you..."

"Find them? One of my nomes discovered them on my mountain and I have kept them in my mountain hidden away for many years. I put two and two together, and they just fell out of the sky one day six years ago. You were so anxious to get home to Kansas. They're quite powerful, you know. They have given me the power to conquer the Emerald City." The Nome King smiled contendedly at the shocked Dorothy. "Thank you, my dear."

Dorothy felt a pang of guilt in her heart. Those slippers sent had sent her home during her first trip to Oz but she had unknowingly left them in the hands of this monster. She remembered how Mombi taunted and bragged to her how she discovered her cousin's broomstick and used it to take conquer Oz just like the Jester did years ago. The destruction upon the Land of Oz and her friends' demise were entirely her fault. If she had kept the shoes locked on her feet during her first trip or put the broomstick behind its glass case in Emerald City instead of throwing it in the twister, then neither of this would have happened. Her sadness and guilt at once changed to anger as she gave the Nome King a look of pure venom.

"Scarecrow never stole the emeralds! They were there when he came!" she yelled. "How could you accuse him of stealing and turn him into an ornament like that! He never stole anything! Those emeralds were there when he became king! You're nothing but a liar! I want him back! If you want to change someone into an ornament, change me! I'm the one responsible for the destruction of Oz so I'll take my punishment!"

"Dorothy!" cried a multitude of her friends' voices, shocked and bewildered by her words.

Dorothy collapsed to the stone floor. Her head buried in her arms, crying softly. "I want him back," she choked through tears. "Change me instead."

Her friends felt terrible and sorry as they approached Dorothy, trying to comfort her.

"Mom…" Jack started to say softly when Dorothy hissed at him tearfully.

"Leave me alone! It's my fault for everything that's happened to you and all my friends! So I don't deserve any comfort!"

Watching the young teen shedding tears, the Nome King suddenly took pity on her. He got up from his throne, got down on his knee, and stroked Dorothy's hair gently.

"No, no. Don't cry." He said, soothingly. "Poor Dorothy Gale of Kansas. I didn't realize that he meant so much to you."

Dorothy looked up at him with a tear stained face. "Scarecrow was my first friend and I once told that I'd miss him most of all!"

The Nome King nodded slightly. "All is not lost, Dorothy. I know just the thing to cheer you up."

"Don't listen to him, Dorothy," said the Tiger, baring his teeth at the monarch. "He's trying to play with your mind!"

"At ease, my fellow beast," said the Nome King. "You and everyone else can help Dorothy by playing a little game to make her feel better. And I bet that you can get the Scarecrow back, along with the others. After all, you would do anything for your friend, right? And you would risk something for that, wouldn't you, Dorothy?"

Dorothy thought about what the Nome King said. She had never felt this anxious or sad in her life. This was the third time he had been snatched away from her. But what he wanted to tell her sounded important. Was it about keeping a promise not to endanger herself? Dorothy knew she did break that promise without telling him, but his last words sounded different before he disappeared. She thought back to their dream world, the dance, and those feelings she felt for him before he asked her to keep the promise. Dorothy realized then that her true feelings for the Scarecrow were more than friendship. And if she was going to play this game to get him back, she would risk it.

"If this game means saving my friends, then I accept. Whatever the cost may be," she said bravely.

-0o0o0-

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Langwidere woke up from her slumber and rushed into the mirror chamber. When she got there, she found Mombi looked horribly red in the face and her eyes ablaze with rage.

"What are you screaming about? I'm trying to get my beauty sleep," complained Langwidere.

"SHE'S STILL ALIIIIIIVE!" The wicked witch screamed at the top of her lungs.

"What are you talking about!?" asked the princess.

Mombi shoved the scepter's orb in Langwidere's face. There was a tiny emerald green glow in the center of the blood red orb. "Dorothy Gale is still alive!?"

"What!? But I thought…how is it possible she survived?" The princess asked in disbelief.

"How should I know! First, she survived the Jester's waterfall trick and now my lightning storm trick! I mean, that's a good trick!" Her angry face lowered into an ashamed face. "It's so…humiliating."

"If she survived, then she must have made it to the Nome King's mountain!" cried Langwidere with realization.

Just then, the door flew open and the wheelers and the flying baboons bolted in.

"Princess, Dorothy Gale has…" The Head Wheeler started to say but Langwidere cut him off.

"We know! She escaped and made it to the Nome King's mountain! Ready my chariot! We must get to the mountain to warn him about the chicken!"

"As soon as one of my baboons gets himself cleaned up first," Mombi said with disgust, glancing over at the leader of the winged baboons, still covered in the Tiger's vomit.


	13. The Guessing Game

"You can go in there and inspect my ornament collection," said the Nome King, explaining the rules of the game to Dorothy and her friends, "each of you may touch one of my treasures, if you believe one of them is either the Scarecrow or his subjects. If you touch an object and say the word 'Oz' at the same time, the Scarecrow or one of his friends will be restored to their original selves."

"Hold on a second, rock man!" interrupted Woodenhorse, who eyed the monarch suspiciously. "What happens if we don't guess right and we pic k the wrong object?"

The Nome King looked at him with a smug look. "Well, I'm afraid you will instantly become an ornament and a part of my collection."

Dorothy stared at him in disbelief as her friends glanced uneasily at each other.

"Ohhh, if he weren't so disgusting, I'd eat him up in a matter of seconds," the Tiger growled.

"But that's not fair!" Jack objected in dismay.

"Dorothy did say she was willing to take the risk," replied the Nome King. "It sounds very fair to me and what I think is all that really matters."

All eyes were on Dorothy, who was thinking the matter over.

"You can't do this, Dorothy!" exclaimed Tiktok. "If you guess wrong, you will be enchanted into an ornament!"

"Then I will accept the punishment I deserve for everything I've done," Dorothy said sorrowfully. Then she turned to the king. "I accept, Your Majesty."

The Nome King clasped his hands together looking pleased. "Oh, good. I just knew you would."

With a motion of his hand, the nomes made an opening in the wall for the Oz gang to pass through. The entire group walked cautiously down the staircase with Dorothy trailing behind when she heard the Nome King call her name.

"Dorothy!"

The teen glanced over at the rock-made monarch

"You don't have to go down there. I can use the ruby slippers to send you back to Kansas. And when you get home, you will never think of Oz again."

"But what about all my friends?" questioned Dorothy.

"Forget about them," answered the Nome King, "you can't help them now. After all…..there's no place like home."

Dorothy silently shook her head in refusal. "I would never abandon my friends." And with that, she walked down the staircase, with the entrance to the throne room closing up behind her.

-0o0o0-

Meanwhile, Mombi and Langwidere had driven the princess' chariot, pulled by the wheelers, through an underground tunnel that took them to the main entrance of the Nome King's domain. The winged baboons were flying behind the chariot as they made their way through the tunnel. Upon arriving, the rock minion's face appeared on the wall when he heard the howls of the wheelers and the shrieks of the winged baboons.

"Open up! Tell him it's important!" demanded Langwidere.

"We have news for the Nome King!" cried Mombi.

The rock minion obeyed and an opening parted in the wall for both parties to enter.

-0o0o0-

"Wow!" Woodenhorse gasped in awe upon entering the ornament chamber. "Get a load of this place."

The group found themselves in a splendid hall that looked very grand and beautiful. The ceilings were composed of great arches that rose far above their heads, and all the walls and floors were of polished marble exquisitely colored white. Upon the mantels and on many shelves and brackets and tables, were clusters of ornaments of every description, seemingly made out of all sorts of metals, glass, china, stones, and marbles. There were vases, figures or persons or animals, graven platters and bowls, and mosaics of precious gems, portraits on walls, and many other things.

"Goodness! How will we ever find His Majesty, the Scarecrow, or the others in all this?" asked Tiktok, his head turning around in a circle at all the ornaments around him.

"We'll have to split up," suggested the Tiger. "We must choose wisely, or we will all become ornaments as well."

"In case we don't make it…" Dorothy announced sadly. "I'm sorry I got you all into this mess. Mombi and the Nome King are right. It's my fault for what has happened to Oz."

"Aw, you don't have to apologize," said Jack, "if I hadn't met you, I would have been stuck as Mombi's slave forever."

"Don't let that old witch and old fossil tell you different," said the Tiger, "none of this is your fault. They're just trying to mess with your mind."

"And if it hadn't been for you, I would've been stuck on that pole forever," smiled Woodenhorse.

"It has always been an honor serving you, Dorothy of Oz," Tiktok saluted.

"I should have quit when I was a head," grumbled the Gump, before adding, "but it's been nice knowing you, kid."

Dorothy smiled, her spirits lifted as she was glad her friends weren't cross with her. "Thank you, for being such good friends."

She pulled them all into a big group hug, and they stayed that way for half a minute before an irritated clucking noise came from inside Jack's pumpkin head. Everyone had to let go so Jack could open the cap off his head and pull Billina out from his head.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I can hardly move in there!" Billina complained. Then the chicken fluttered out of Jack's grasp and walked underneath a table covered by a white table cloth and several Knick-knacks. "After all the craziness, I need a nap."

"Don't stay in there too long," warned Dorothy. "And remember, the nomes don't like chickens. So stay out of sight."

"Obviously, she's no spring chicken," joked Woodenhorse.

After that, the group split up and went to explore different rooms of the ornament chamber.

-0o0o0-

Upstairs, and in the throne room, Mombi and Langwidere advanced into the throne room. Before either of them could speak, the Nome King bellowed, "Kneel down before your king!"

Groaning exasperatedly, Mombi and Langwidere got down on their knees, bowing before the Nome King.

"Dorothy Gale has come back to Oz," said Langwidere.

"Yes, I know," replied the Nome King. "And one of you was supposed to bring her to me."

"What good is she if she were better off dead?" grumbled Mombi. "She has caused enough trouble for both of us! She corrupted pumpkinhead, tried to steal my broomstick, stole Langwidere's ruby key, my Powder of Life, and made antiques to make a flying sofa and she's heading this way…" Looking up at the smug look on the king, Mombi grinned. "You know."

"I know everything because she's already here…..but not for much longer," the Nome King smiled wickedly. "I asked them to play a game for me, betting that if they could find the transformed Scarecrow and his friends."

"Why didn't you just transform them all right away like you did with the Scarecrow and the others?" asked Langwidere.

"It's more fun this way and it keeps me amused," replied the Nome King with a laugh. "Besides, there is no chance of their guessing right. How can they not know that people from Oz are a royal green color?"

"But…" Mombi showed a worried look on her face, "if she guesses right and finds out about Ozma…"

Hearing the name, the Nome King stood up immediately in alarm. "Ozma!? You didn't let her escape as well, did you?"

"Of course not," said Mombi. "She's still a prisoner. Nobody even knows where or who she is."

"Oh. Then there's nothing to worry about." The Nome King relaxed and sat back down in his throne and smoked his pipe. "Soon, there will be nobody left who remembers Oz, and I will become king over the entire land."

Behind the silent stone wall, and at the top of the staircase, Billina, having kept her head and ear pressed against the wall, had listened carefully to all this talk, now chuckled softly to herself as she heard the king disclose his secret to the witches. Then as quietly as ever Billina made her way back downstairs.

-0o0o0-

Back in the ornament chamber, the guessing game didn't go quite as anyone expected.

First, the Tiger came upon a long table with ornaments and knick-knacks carved to look like delicious good things to eat. "Of all the ornaments I've seen, these certainly look delicious," said the Tiger, hungrily. But instead of eating it, he pressed his big paw against a marble bowl of fruit and said "Oz!" There was a loud thunderclap and a flash of bright light. In the Tiger's place stood a beautifully shaped green ornament that resembled a cake upon the table.

Tiktok looked at several soldier ornaments when he realized that his action was winding down. "Oh, no. My action is running down. I better pick quick." He touched a golden mantel clock and said, "Oz!" But there was no Tiktok when there was thunderclap and a flash of light. All that remained of Tiktok was a green alarm clock.

"Eenie, meenie, miney…" said Jack, as he tried to choose which ornament to touch. Woodenhorse noticed this and tried to stop him, knowing Jack was going to make a mistake. "No! Not that way, you old melon head!" "Mo!" Too late. When Jack touched a vase and said, "Oz!" He was gone, and so was Woodenhorse. In their place were a miniature green rocking horse and a green jack-o-lantern.

The Gump found a golden crown on a shelf and said, "Hmm, since the Scarecrow is a king, maybe this could be him." He used his antler to touch the crown ornament but accidently bumped his antler against the top shelf, knocking several ornaments to the floor except a green medal got caught in his antler. The Gump lowered his head so his antler could touch the crown and then said, "Oz!" But just like his comrades, the Gump failed and was transformed into a green shiny horseshoe.

At that moment, Billina rushed into the chamber, squawking like crazy. "Don't touch anything! Don't touch anything!"

But there was no one. Only Dorothy could be seen, gazing at a pretty star and reached out to touch it and say, 'Oz.'

"Dorothy! Don't touch it! That's not the right one!" cried Billina.

"Billina!" gasped Dorothy, turning to face the chicken. "I thought I told you to stay hidden," she scolded.

But the hen was not in the mood to be reprimanded when she had important news. "Now's not the time, Dorothy! I overheard the Nome King talking to Mombi and Langwidere. The Scarecrow and all your friends are the royal green ornaments!"

"Green ornaments!?" Dorothy gaped in a mixture of both amazement and shock. "Then it makes sense! People from Oz are green because they've come from the Emerald City! We must tell the others!"

"They're nowhere to be seen," said Billina. "They must've all turned into ornaments."

"Oh, no!" exclaimed Dorothy in dismay.

"I'm sorry, Dorothy."

"Don't be sorry, Billina. You've been a big help to me. C'mon, let's find those green ornaments!"

The two friends searched the entire room, eyes scanning from table to shelf for anything green. Dorothy felt her heart sing when she discovered a green diploma on a table. Placing her hands on it, Dorothy shouted, "OZ!"

The green diploma disappeared, and lounging on the table in front of her was the Scarecrow.

"DOROTHY!"

His voice echoed throughout the chamber and to the Nome King's throne room, where the monarch gave a start of shock. "Smudge and blazes!"

"Scarecrow!" exclaimed Dorothy, filled with happiness and joy. She threw her arms around him and the straw man lovingly embraced her in his delight.

"Oh, Dorothy, I'm so glad you're okay," he said with relief.

"Me too," she replied.

Dorothy was about to let go when the Scarecrow pulled her close to him. "Dorothy, there's something I need to tell you. I l…"

"I'm sorry, Scarecrow, but it has to wait," interrupted Dorothy, pushing herself out of the Scarecrow's embrace. "We must find more green ornaments."

"Why?"

"All our friends have been turned into green ornaments. We must find them quickly!"

"You got it, kiddo!"

So Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and Billina spread out and searched the entire chamber for more green ornaments.

"Furnaces and fumes!" cried the Nome King with rage. He threw his pipe at the wall, and the second it made contact with the wall, it exploded in flame.

The Scarecrow scanned every shelf and table he could find. "Green, green, green, green…" His eyes stopped at a green heart. "Green! I found one, Dorothy!"

"Touch it and say Oz!" shouted Dorothy when she found a green badge that read 'courage.' She touched it and shouted, "Oz!" The badge vanished and in its place stood the Cowardly Lion.

The Scarecrow touched the green heart and said, "Oz!" The heart was gone and the Tin Man was sitting on the table.

"Oh, thank goodness you found me," said the Tin Man with a relieved sigh.

"You can thank Dorothy for that," smiled the Scarecrow.

Dorothy quickly gave the Tin Man and the Lion a warm hug before saying, "I need your help, guys. The Nome King has transformed all our friends into green ornaments."

"All you have to do is touch it, say the word 'Oz,' and then everyone will change back into their old selves," explained the Scarecrow.

"Not a problem, strawman, you can count on us," the Lion said, giving him a wink.

"We'll help however we can," said the Tin Man, saluting.

The Nome King was fuming mad back in the throne room. "You let her escape, you two idiots!" Mombi held her ground while Langwidere tried to back away looking terribly frightened.

"Oz!" The Lion found a pair of green glasses and it transformed at once into Wiser when he had touched it.

"Oz!" The Tin Man touched a green china teapot and the China Princess appeared on the table.

"Oz!" The Scarecrow discovered a green candy cane and it changed into Marshal Mallow.

"Oz!" Dorothy, to her delight, found the green jack-o-lantern and green rocking horse, and when she had touched them, they transformed into Jack Pumpkinhead and Woodenhorse.

"Oz!" Billina used her leg to touch the green alarm clock and Tiktok was now standing right in front of her.

"Oz!" The Scarecrow found the green cake and the Hungry Tiger gave him a big bone-crushing once he had been rescued.

"Oz!" Dorothy had found the last green ornament, the green horseshoe, and the Gump looked around in confusion when he had changed back to normal.

That word seemed to mock the Nome King every time he heard Dorothy or her friends say it. He smashed his throne chair in a rage and threw the pieces right at Mombi and Langwidere, but Mombi disintegrated it with a heat spell used from her broomstick scepter.

The body of the Nome King suddenly faded into the wall, his large face now imprinted on the wall, and he bellowed angrily at the witches, "YOU BOTH _HAD_ HER AND BOTH OF YOU _LET_ HER ESCAPE!"

"It wasn't our fault," objected Langwidere. "If you had given us a real army…"

"Hey! You should've let me kill her when I had the chance!" shouted Mombi.

"I'LL TAKE CARE OF YOU LATER!"

The Nome King waved a giant hand and two cages sprung up to encircle the two witches. They cried out in anguish as the angry Nome King left to deal with Dorothy and her friends.


	14. The Climax

In the ornament chamber, there was a midst of warm and loving embraces shared by friends from Oz, until the chamber began to shake. A low rumbling noise shook beneath their feet as the noise got louder and louder.

"Uh, Tiger, old buddy," said the Lion nervously. "Please tell me that's your stomach."

"If it was my stomach, it wouldn't make the room shake," replied the Tiger.

In the throne room, the fossil tile started to come down and nearly crushed the caged Mombi and Langwidere.

"Wheelers, help me! Get me outta here!" cried Langwidere.

But the frightened wheelers turned and retreated back through the tunnel they came through, followed close by the terrified winged baboons.

"Come back here, you cowards!" shouted Mombi, but neither the wheelers nor the winged baboons came back for them. So Mombi took matters into her own hands and used the broomstick scepter to cast a spell and melt the cage surrounding her. Then she did the same thing to Langwidere's cage.

"This is place is gonna come down!" shouted Langwidere. "Let's get outta here!"

"You get outta here while I find Dorothy!" yelled Mombi.

"Why?"

"Because I still have a score to settle with her!"

Back in the ornament chamber, the Gump trotted over to Dorothy, looking worried.

"Dorothy!"

"What's happening?"

"Technically, I was gonna ask you the same thing!"

Ornaments everywhere fell from their spots, shattering to pieces, as the rumbling and the shaking became more violent.

"Wha…wha…oh no." The Scarecrow had a hard time stuffing Billina into his jacket but lost his balance due to the quake.

"Let's get outta here!" cried Wiser. "Where's the exit?"

"You're the smart guy, you figure it out!" retorted the China Princess.

Two more vases from the top shelf wobbled tediously. They were nearing the edge and close enough to fall right on the unsuspecting Dorothy.

"Dorothy!" The Scarecrow made a mad dash through the room until he made it to Dorothy, shielding his arms around her to protect her from the two falling vases that slipped off the shelf and shattered on his back.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, with deep concern.

"I'm fine, thanks," Dorothy replied.

"I'm okay too if anybody's asking," grumbled Woodenhorse, who had gotten hit on the head by one of the falling vases.

A hue crack split open the wall, shaking lose some huge chunks of carved white rock, and the light in the room changing to a menacing fiery red color.

Suddenly, the head of the much larger and giant Nome King materialized before them. Fire burned all around him as he gazed at the Oz troupe with a raging look in his eyes.

"STOP! RIGHT! THERE!" He bellowed in a very deep voice.

The tiny group stared up at him complete horror.

"Oh, fudge," trembled Marshal Mallow.

"Hey! Watch your language, marshmallow boy," scolded the Lion.

"YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" The Nome King hollered angrily. "I'M TIRED OF GAMES! I'M TIRED OF ALL OF YOU! BUT IF YOU WANT TO GO SO BADLY, HOW ABOUT THE SOFA GOES FIRST!?"

His large fossil hand grabbed the end of the Gump's sofa body and attempted to pick him up. But Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion all grabbed hold of the Gump's front head, and it seemed like a brief game of tug of war started between the adversaries. Finally, the Lion used his sharp claws to cut the ropes that bounded the Gump's head to the sofa. The ropes broke loose and the Gump's head fell into the Tin Man's arms. Everyone watched in horror as the Nome King lifted the sofa to his huge mouth and swallowed it whole, and then let out a big belch.

"If I had a stomach, I'd know I'd be sick," said the frightened Gump.

"Then I'm glad you don't have a stomach," retorted the Tin Man, who didn't want to have the Gump vomit on him.

"NEXT, PUMPKINHEAD!"

"Nooo!" Jack screamed as the Nome King's hand came back down for him. "Help me, mommy!"

Dorothy grasped the pumpkinman's wrist and dragged him down another room. "Everyone, run!" she screamed.

The Oz troupe immediately raced after Dorothy and Jack through a collapsing hallway; Dorothy grasping Jack's wrist, the Scarecrow running beside her to protect her, the Tin Man and Mallow carrying both China Princess and the Gump, Tiktok and Woodenhorse right behind them, Wiser stumbling and waddling as he ran to keep up his pace, and both the Lion and the Tiger ran on all fours.

"NOOOOOOMES!"

Gargoyle-like monsters emerged from the stone walls at the command of their king. The nome monsters all growled and screeched threateningly at the Oz troupe, making them halt in their tracks.

"Back! Go back!" The Scarecrow urged his friends desperately. "Run this way!"

The entire troupe changed their direction and dashed down another room. But again their path was blocked by more nome monsters. Looking around, Dorothy directed her friends to run through an open path. Without sword or axe, the Tin Man and Mallow could not defend themselves or the ones they held in their arms. Luckily for them, the Lion and the Tiger roared and snarled bravely against the mob of the nomes that roared and hissed ferociously at them and reached their claw-like hands out to try and grab them.

While being held back by the snarling nomes, the Scarecrow could see the Nome King reaching his hand for the pumpkin-headed man. "Watch out, Jack!"

Jack screamed and stood frozen with fear when he saw the Nome King's giant hand. Dorothy stumbled back when Jack stopped moving. Jack covered his eyes so he wouldn't see it coming. But just as the Nome King could pick him up…

"Wait!" Dorothy leapt in between Jack and the giant fossil hand, holding her hands up in defense. "I'm the one who's ruined your plan to rule Oz. I've been so reckless in the rescue of my friends that I broke a promise to a friend for not staying out of trouble and I've put them in danger. And I'm the one responsible for the fall of Oz. After all, I was careless enough to leave the ruby slippers on your mountain…"

The Oz troupe froze as they let Dorothy's words sink in. Their expressions were a mixture of shock and disbelief. Only Jack, Tiktok, Woodenhorse, the Tiger, the Gump, and Billina knew this, but the rest of the group couldn't help but feel betrayed and upset, mostly the Scarecrow.

"Dorothy…!" A rising anger could be heard in his voice when he spoke again. "You…broke your promise to _me!_"

"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING, GIRL!?" The Nome King interrupted, his voice shaking the whole room.

"I'm saying…" Dorothy hesitated, knowing the biggest risk she was about to make, but if it could it would make amends for her mistakes and it was much worse than Dr. Worley's shock treatment. "Eat me instead."

"WHAT!?" Her friends cried out in sudden alarm.

The Nome King looked down at her and chuckled evilly. "AS YOU WISH." With one swift grab, the Nome King had Dorothy in his grasp.

"No, stop! Let her go!" The Scarecrow, having let go of his anger and now dreaded with terror, locked hold onto the king's large finger, also being pulled up with Dorothy, all the way up to the giant face. The Nome King knew this but he didn't care because he knew he was going to kill two of his next victims. Looking down, the Scarecrow and Dorothy screamed at the burning abyss down the monster's throat.

"NO!" Everyone down below yelled as all they could do was helplessly watch their friends meeting their demise.

"Scarecrow, let go!" Dorothy pleaded to her friend.

"Never!" The Scarecrow yelled firmly. "I will never let you go, Dorothy! I _love_ you!"

Dorothy was stuck back when she heard those three words. But the moment of this feeling ended quickly as the monster laughed evilly and much louder, slowly lowering them closer to his open jaws.

Inside the strawman's jacket, Billina got so scared that she, for the first time in days, laid an egg. The Scarecrow felt her do this and an idea came to him. With one gloved hand grasping Dorothy's arm, the other gloved hand reached into his straw stuffed jack, drew out the egg, and hurled it straight into the monster's open mouth.

All of a sudden, everything went quiet. The Nome King, having seen what the Scarecrow had done, shut his mouth and released both Dorothy and the Scarecrow, both of them tumbling down the rocky hillside and sliding onto the floor.

Every nome monster surrounding the Oz troupe shrunk back and groaned in fear and dismay, suddenly disintegrating.

"Poison… poison… poison…" Was the last thing the nome monsters grieved.

"AN EGG?" The Nome King recoiled in horror

The Scarecrow helped Dorothy to her feet and led her back to their friends, all quickly giving them hugs of relief.

"Oh, thank goodness," sighed the Tin Man.

When Billina poked her head out from the Scarecrow's jacket she clucked, "Dorothy, I've finally laid my egg! Hey, where is everybody so quiet?"

Everyone looked up at the giant Nome King, who began to fall and crumble apart. "DON'T…YOU…KNOW…THAT…EGGS…ARE…POISON…?"

"Poison indeed," scoffed Billina in disbelief.

"…POISON TO NOMES!?"

With those last words, the Nome King disintegrated and crumbled and fell into pieces, wailing loudly in death and agony, and flames exploded around him. Silence filled the room as everyone stared in bewilderment of the Nome King's unexpected demise.

"Well that happened," said Billina.

There was a bright red glow within the pile of rocks. Dorothy knew what it was and instantly rushed toward the rock pile. Digging through, she found and pulled out the ruby slippers. She held them in her hands as if they were like long lost precious toys.

"Dorothy, put them on and use them to get us outta here," said the Scarecrow.

The girl yanked off her old farm boots and slipped her dainty feet into the magic slippers, still fitting her as perfectly as they had always had.

"Nicely done, straw head. You figured out the Nome Jerk's weakness."

Everyone whirled around and saw Mombi casually leaning against the wall, twirling her broomstick in the air.

"Weakness?" Dorothy looked at her puzzled.

"The Nome King hates chickens because they can lay eggs," explained Mombi, "and eggs are poisonous to nomes. What, you think the Nome Jerk was allergic to eggs or something?"

"Uh, no."

"Well, enough said. It's time for my payback." The wicked witch sneered as she raised her scepter above her head, its orb magically changing from the sickly green color to a devilish red color.

"Leave her alone!" The Scarecrow yelled, shoving Dorothy in Wiser's arms to keep her out of harm's way, and glared daggers at the witch.

"If you mess with Dorothy, you mess with us!" The Tin Man put up his dukes as he stood by his friend's side, ready to fight the witch.

"The rest of you guys get Dorothy outta here while we keep witchy busy!" The Lion growled as he got down on all four legs ready to pounce.

The rest of the troupe nodded in understanding, but Dorothy was greatly worried about her friends' safety and wanted to help them, but Wiser and Mallow held her back.

"Guys, you won't stand a chance against Mombi!" cried Dorothy.

"Dorothy, get out now!" barked the Scarecrow.

"Do as he says, Dorothy," advised Mallow, "because that's an order.

It was then Mombi came up with a very wicked and vicious idea, one that she can use to get rid of Dorothy forever.

"Curse thou girl… curse thy fear… curse her who has brought me tears…"

While she uttering the incantation, Mombi waved the scepter in small circles and the scepter's orb began to glow a darker green

"…curse who has done me wrong… make her punishment strong… this is my will so mote it be!"

Dorothy could not bear to stand by and witness such a horrifying event. She broke free from Wiser and Mallow's grasps, and lunged forward, as if she were flying through the wind. Just after an electrifying red light shot out from the scepter's orb, a bright red light flashed from the slippers Dorothy wore, hitting the green light's path head on. A shadow of green light flooded Dorothy's body and the rest of it rocketed off her body and struck the surprised Mombi squarely. Both women fell swiftly to the floor and the witch's blood curdling scream of pain and defeat shattered the air. The broomstick clattered to the floor, its sickly green color faded away when its owner had died.

The Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion were incredibly shocked and devastated to what just happened and the three rushed to Dorothy's body.

"Dorothy!" The Scarecrow propped her in his arms and looked at her. She lay in his straw stuffed arms, motionless and still. "No, no, no, no, no!" The King of Oz stammered in alarm. "You can't be…!"

The rest of the group stared down at the girl's body, grief-stricken. China Princess buried her head in Mallow's chest, crying softly.

Suddenly, the rooftops began to crumble and fall. Debris and stone collapsed to the floor, and the rest of the walls were tearing up. A large piece of debris would have crushed the broomstick had Jack not picked it up in time.

"This whole place is gonna fall! We gotta get outta here!" shouted the Tiger.

"But with Dorothy down, she can't use the slippers to get us out!" retorted the Lion.

"Lion, click the heels three times!" exclaimed the Scarecrow.

"What!? You want me to take them off and put them on my feet!? Forget it! I'm not comfortable in women's shoes! And personally I don't think women shoes flatter the Nome King anyway!"

"What he means is grab her feet and click her heels three times!" yelled the Tin Man in annoyance.

"Well you could've just said so." The Lion rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"JUST DO IT!" shrieked the Scarecrow.

"Okay, fine. Geez!" The Lion picked up Dorothy's limp legs and said out loud, "I wish we were all out of here and back in Oz, lickety-split! And for the Emerald City, its emeralds, and all the people there restored!"

Clicking her heels three times, there was a flash of red light, and instantly, the inhabitants from Oz left the collapsing chamber and mountain just in the nick of time.


	15. Celebration in Emerald City

A red swirling vortex appeared in the night sky and hovered over the Emerald City harbor. The Scarecrow and his friends dropped out of the vortex and crash landed at the dock, toppling and tumbling over one another. The vortex vanished just as everyone struggled to get on their feet, moaning from the dizziness of their sudden travel. Suddenly, the Emerald City that was seen just up ahead began to glow brilliantly as it always had been. Everyone knew it was a sign that the city itself had been restored, even the people within the city were restored; the headless dancing girls were given back their original beautiful heads, especially Glinda who was restored to her natural lovely self.

"Hey, what do you know? Those ruby slippers work like a charm." The Lion chuckled, pleased that he had used them to save himself and his friends.

"Looks like everything in Oz is back to the way it used to be." Tiktok smiled.

"I couldn't have said it better myself." Came a deep gruff voice.

Everyone looked and saw Tugg docked close to the harbor, giving them that same old grandfatherly smile.

"Tugg! Good to see that you're back!" said the Tin Man.

"Same here," replied Tugg. "So, what happened to you guys? Where have you been?"

"It's a long story…" The Scarecrow looked down at the lifeless Dorothy in his arms. "…and it's too painful to talk about it."

Tugg looked over at the girl and, recognizing the young teen as Dorothy, immediately figured out what was wrong. "Dorothy? What happened to her?"

Just then, a shimmer of pink light came from behind them. The group could see Glinda coming down the dock, rather floating, to greet them. Everyone was happy to see that she was alright, but their happy expressions could not hide the pain they felt over Dorothy.

"Oh no," Glinda gasped when she saw the girl's lifeless body. "What happened?"

"She…she saved our lives," stuttered the Scarecrow, feeling complete and utter sadness. "Mombi tried to destroy us but Dorothy risked her own life to save us. I don't know how but the spell Mombi used bounced right off of Dorothy when there was a flash of red and it bounced right back at Mombi."

Glinda looked at the ruby slippers on Dorothy's feet, then back at the motionless girl. "Hmm…from what you have told me, the spell Mombi used is a spell for death. Obviously, wanting her revenge on Dorothy, she tricked her into saving your lives so she could kill her. But, the ruby slippers have special power and they have protected Dorothy to keep the spell from absorbing her whole body. However, most of the spell absorbed her while the rest was reflected back to Mombi."

"But will she ever wake up?"

"I…I do not know. Her face is pale and she's not breathing."

"Isn't there anything you can do!?" There was desperation in his voice.

"I'm…sorry. There's nothing I can do. The spell Mombi conjured up is very lethal and powerful."

The Good Witch of the North's words gave the Scarecrow a mix of emotions. Guilty for telling her off for breaking her promise but failing to protect her from harm, and hatred towards Mombi and the Nome King for all the pain they had caused on his beloved.

"Does this mean Dorothy is…?" China Princess didn't dare finish her sentence as she knew what the answer was going to be.

A shadow of gloom hung over the entire party. Everyone felt sadness and grief, and shed tears for their dear friend and brave hero. Not because she had saved their lives, but because she had brought so much for them. The people in Oz not only knew Dorothy as a Savior, but that she brought good luck to those unfortunate and changed people's lives to make them better people. But that girl was gone, gone forever.

"If I had done something sooner, I would have torn that witch apart! Just rip her, limb from limb!" The Lion roared furiously.

"What is it with you and tearing people limb from limb?" The Tin Man asked.

"It's what we do with our prey," the Tiger responded.

The Scarecrow was on his knees, still holding Dorothy in his arms, and looking at her face. She almost looked as if she was sleeping; in a deathless sleep, that is. He couldn't bear to look at her like this anymore, he wanted to bring her back to him, like he did with his Rainbow Mover, but he knew he couldn't.

**(Scarecrow)**

**Never told you, but I meant to**

**Before I could begin**

**Even then**

**I loved you even then**

**See my heart is scared of places**

**That it's never been**

**But even then**

**I loved you even then**

**If my voice should start to tremble**

**If I am shaking**

**I love you now**

**Like I loved you even then**

He leaned down closer to her face, slowly, extremely close, in fact, so close that his hat covered the view from anyone to see what he was doing. What the Scarecrow had given her gave his heart a flutter. He wanted to stay in that position forever, to feel the warmth on his lips for always, but he had to let go. After that, he leaned his head on her shoulder, to cry on.

In Jack's hands, the scepter began to glow a familiar emerald green. The pale color on Dorothy's skin began to change to its regular peachy skin color. Her mouth twitched slightly and her eyes fluttered.

**(Dorothy)**

**If I left you, I never meant to**

**And I won't pretend**

**But even then**

**I loved you even then**

Everyone was nearly startled by the sudden angelic singing voice. Dorothy sat upward, giving a yawn and a stretch. The scepter glowed brighter and more greener than ever.

"DOROTHY! YOU'RE ALIVE!" Practically all her friends screamed this when they had just witnessed her awakening.

"Oh, Dorothy! I thought I'd lost you!" The Scarecrow cried, pulling her into his embrace.

"I thought I was a goner too," said Dorothy, returning his embrace.

Everyone else rushed over and caught Dorothy in a midst of warm hugs and joyful sobbing.

"Oh, Dorothy. I can't believe you sacrificed yourself for us. You could've been killed," sobbed the Tin Man.

"I did it because I love you guys, and I don't want anything bad to happen to you," said Dorothy.

"We all love you too, and we would do the same for you," said the Lion.

"We would?" Jack asked, glancing at Woodenhorse, who just elbowed him in the rib.

"Wow. I guess those red slippers really are magic," muttered Billina in amazement. But little did she know that she was wrong and it wasn't the slippers' doing in bringing Dorothy back to life.

When Dorothy saw Tugg, she smiled and waved. "Tugg, hello! It's good to see you."

"Hello, Dorothy!" Tugg chuckled. "I'm so glad you're okay. And my, how you've grown up so fast."

Then Dorothy stood up and embraced Glinda when she saw her. "Oh, Glinda! You've got your head back."

"Yes, I'm glad I did," smiled Glinda.

"Hey, what's that green medal doing on your antler, Gump?" asked Tiktok.

The Gump glanced up at his antler and saw that the green medal that he knocked down was still stuck on his antler. "Oh, this? It just fell on me by accident."

Dorothy looked at the green medal. People from Oz were enchanted by the Nome King to become green ornaments because of the Emerald City. Suppose…that green medal was…?

Placing her hand on the green medal, Dorothy shouted, "Oz!"

_FLASH!_

The green light vanished as quickly as it came. The green medal was gone and in its place was an old man, sitting on the stone pavement, groaning tiredly.

"Oh, dear. Where am I?" When the old man looked up, everyone could see he was middle-aged, stout, grey moustache, and dressed in a black tuxedo with a green tie. Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Lion, and Glinda knew instantly who this man was.

"WIZARD!?"

The Wizard looked up at the eyes of surprise all around him, until he glanced over at Dorothy. "Dorothy? Is that really you? The last time I saw you, you were a little g…"

Without a response, Dorothy threw her arms around the old man and hugged him tight. "Oh, Wizard! I can't believe you're here!"

"Neither can I, dear," the Wizard chuckled.

"Wait a second!" The Lion interrupted. "How the heck did you get yourself turned into an ornament!?"

"Well, the last thing I remember is riding my balloon on the way back to Kansas," explained the Wizard, "then this strong gust of wind blows my balloon towards the mountain with one heck of a crash landing. Then these rock monsters came out of nowhere and pulled me deep into the earth, then I met this king made of fossil who…"

"Say no more!" Interrupted the Scarecrow. "I think we know the rest of what happened."

"I see. Well, on the bright side, I'm glad to be out of there," said the Wizard. "But what I don't understand is who are these other creatures and how did I get out here?"

"It's a long story, but we'll tell you about it later." Dorothy chuckled.

-0o0o0-

The entire Land of Oz was celebrating the defeat of Mombi, Langwidere, and the Nome King, and most of the civilians attended the party at the Emerald City. Green streamers were hung on the walls, green balloons rose into the sky, green confetti fell from the window balconies by little children, and acrobatics and dancers played in the streets. The crowd parted to make way for the oncoming parade.

In the lead, Dorothy was wearing a beautiful sky-blue gown with a low cut shoulder wrap, long sleeved gloves, a string of white pearls around her waist with a tiny blue ribbon, and around her neck a beautiful heart-shaped locket with an emerald in the center. Her long hair was curled, with a sash tied half up in her hair. She rode on the back on Woodenhorse, with the Scarecrow in front, leading the reins. The Scarecrow looked back at his beloved behind him. She looked absolutely gorgeous in her new gown. Woodenhorse held his head high looking proud as he carried both Dorothy and the King on his back. The Tin Man and Tiktok were both polished and both gleamed in the moonlight, waving politely to the cheering crowds. The Lion and the Tiger marched side by side together, Jack Pumpkinhead just waved one hand at the people while his other arm carried the Gump who just smiled. Billina was carried by Glinda on a green pillow with the gold key tied around her neck with a green ribbon. Of course the Wizard, who was a most recognized celebrity among the people, received many cheers and waves as the man himself tipped his hat and waved to the crowd. Langwidere was there too, but in a cage and booed at by the crowd as soldiers carried her through. The winged baboons and the wheelers were also in cages, and they too were booed at by the crowd.

In the Wizard's chamber, people gathered around the throne so the Scarecrow could make his announcement.

"Dear fellow Ozians," the strawman spoke loud and clear, "I am delighted to be here today, and with a little surprise too. But I want you to know that my two friends, including the Wizard and Miss Glinda, owe our lives to some of the bravest friends whom if not for then, the Land of Oz would still be under the tyranny of those dastardly villains. But, most of the credit goes to Dorothy Gale, our Savior and Heroine of Oz, to whom I have a surprise for her."

To everyone's surprise, the Scarecrow got down on one knee and took Dorothy's hand. Billina knew this too and would have clucked out an objection if China Princess had not clammed her beak shut.

"Dorothy Gale…none of this would have been possible if not for you. Will you stay and be my queen?"

The entire crowd chanted and pleaded that Dorothy should accept, even her friends wanted her to do it. Dorothy could feel her heart racing. This was her first proposal. If her aunt and uncle were here…her thoughts drifted toward Aunt Em, Uncle Henry, and Toto. Her heart sank when she realized that living in Oz and having them believe she might've drowned would break their hearts.

"Scarecrow…I love you so much to accept your proposal, and everyone here are the best friends anyone's ever had…..but, I'm sorry. I can't be your queen. I've got to go back to Kansas where I belong."

A chorus of disappointed moans came from the audience. The Scarecrow stood up, looking completely heartbroken.

"Aunt Em and Uncle are probably worried to death about me," added Dorothy.

"And Toto, don't forget him!" clucked Billina.

"Oh, yes. Toto believes in Oz, but my aunt and uncle don't. I tell them about all the things that happened, and all of the wonderful friends I've met."

"C'mon, you wanna go back to those annoying old people who don't understand you and forced you to go to a lethal hospital to make you forget about Oz?" The Tiger asked, earning him a smack on the back of the head by Marshal Mallow.

"We understand, Dorothy," smiled Jack.

"Maybe I can work up something that could make your aunt and uncle believe in Oz," said the Scarecrow.

"But if you use the slippers, they might fall into the wrong hands again," said Wiser. "You know the Nome King wasn't the only wicked person in Oz."

Dorothy shook her head sadly. "I wish I can be in both places at the same time."

Her ruby slippers glowed brightly at her words.

"Look! Behind you in the mirror!" Billina shouted.

Dorothy turned around and gasped. Everyone gasped once they looked into the mirror. Dorothy's reflection had been replaced by a misty green ghostly figure. As Dorothy approached the mirror, the ghost followed her movements until they were close together at the mirror.

"Who's there?" Dorothy asked the ghost.

"Help me step through the glass, Dorothy," said the ghost, with a hint of elegance in her feminine voice.

Dorothy placed her hand on the mirror, and when she touched the ghost's hand, she suddenly felt her hand go through the mirror and touch the ghost's hand. When she pulled her hand out of the mirror, the ghost's hand transformed into a human hand, a woman's hand. Carefully, Dorothy helped the ghost step through the glass, her ghostly figure transforming into a face Dorothy knew. It was that blonde girl who rescued her from Dr. Worley's hospital. She was clothed in a flowing green dress with silver white gauze and wearing a jeweled diadem upon her dainty head with two poppies on both sides of her head.

"It's you!" Dorothy gasped. "I was afraid you might've drowned. And I never got a chance to say thank you for rescuing me."

"Your quite welcome, Dorothy," the blonde girl smiled.

"So, what's your name?"

"My name is Ozma."

Jack's hollow eyes grew wide. "MOM! It's my real mom! Now I've got _two_ mommies; Dorothy and Ozma!" With a heavenly sigh, Jack passed among and fell into the arms of Tiktok and the Tin Man.

"Mother?" The Tin Man looked puzzled.

"Two mommies?" China Princess was confused.

"And who might you be, child?" Glinda asked the blonde girl.

"You should ask Langwidere." Ozma nodded her head towards the caged Langwidere.

Questioning eyes were on her, as well as glares, so Langwidere sighed and decided to confess.

"Okay, fine! I'll spill the beans. She is Ozma, the Queen and rightful heir to the throne of Oz. Her father was the King of Oz before the Wizard came. When the King died, the Wicked Witch of the East gave the infant princess to Mombi and told everyone that she died. Ozma grew up as Mombi's slave as long as she obeyed her. When the Nome King promised me thirty beautiful heads and Mombi her cousins' broomstick if we kept Ozma a secret, Mombi enchanted her into the mirror."

"I forgive both you and Mombi, Miss Langwidere," Ozma said gently, "Dorothy has punished you the both of you by taking away the magic and your lovely heads. And a witch with no magic is a miserable creature indeed."

"And that's a fact, princess," grumbled Langwidere.

Then, Dorothy gently placed the ruby slippers on Ozma's dainty feet, fitting her perfectly, and even gave her the broomstick, suddenly transformed into a real scepter now that the true Ruler of Oz had been found and restored to the throne.

Next, Glinda placed a solid gold crown that rose a foot above her head. "Long live Queen Ozma of Oz!"

"Long live Queen Ozma of Oz!" The crowd chanted back, and then burst into cheers.

"Are you sure you don't mind giving up the crown, Scarecrow?" Wiser asked.

"I am sure," replied the Scarecrow, who seemed pleased. "I only agreed to be king under the Wizard's insistence. When I wear that crown, it gives me a headache and it makes it hard for me to think. And I felt much more comfortable in my laboratory or out in the fields."

"Then I shall make you my royal inventor, as well as second in command, Scarecrow," said Ozma. "As long as the Tin Man is my chief warrior, and will work alongside Tiktok in the Royal Army of Oz. The Lion and the Tiger as my bodyguards. Woodenhorse as my royal steed. Jack Pumpkinhead as my minister of agriculture. And the Gump…"

"Nothing for me, thank you," said the Gump from the wall above her head. "I'm just happy enough to be hanging around."

"What about me?" The Wizard asked.

Ozma smiled. "You are known to be a wizard to the people of Oz. If you like, I can train you to be a real wizard and as my advisor. And Dorothy…"

"Well, as much as I'd love to stay, but I do like to go home."

Ozma gave Dorothy a loving embrace. "Whatever will we do without you?"

"There will always be a rainbow when you need one most." Dorothy smiled.

"Now before I send you back, I have one condition. I will look in on you from time to time, and if you ever wish to return to Oz, I will make it happen."

"It's a deal!"

"Goodbye, Dorothy!" Billina clucked, while sobbing sadly.

"Billina? You're not coming back?" Dorothy looked at the hen in surprise.

"Nope!" huffed Billina. "I'm not going back to that stupid humdrum world again. I'd rather stay here where I can talk. But give my love to all the chickens, my dear."

Ozma clicked the heels of the ruby slippers three times, wishing for Dorothy to return to Kansas. A bright red sparkling light swirled all around Dorothy.

"Goodbye, everybody!" Dorothy shouted, as she waved goodbye to all of her friends, now finding herself crying among this parting.

"Goodbye, Dorothy!" responded a chorus of her friends' voices.

"Goodbye, Dorothy! Thank you…and, I love you!" The Scarecrow called out, wiping a tear from his eye and then blew a kiss toward Dorothy. That was the last thing Dorothy saw before a very bright light made her shield her eyes.


	16. A Happy Ending

_Woof! Woof!_

Dorothy's eyes slowly opened a little by the sound of barking. Her vision was blurry for a minute, but she could just make out the figure of Toto standing in front of her face, wagging his tail and looking happy to see her. She was lying on the ground, still wet and muddy from the rain that night, and close to the river she had fallen in with Ozma.

_Woof! Woof!_

"Toto? Oh, Toto! It's you!" Dorothy immediately sat up and pulled Toto into her arms. Toto happily licked her in the face. Looking down at herself, she saw that she no longer wore that lovely blue gown but in her old gingham shirt and overalls, now dirty and wet.

"Dorothy!"

Just then, Uncle Henry came through the bushes, wearing a trench coat and fedora. When he found Dorothy, he rushed down onto his knees and embraced her.

"Oh, Dorothy, are you alright? I had almost given up hope!"

"I'm alright, Uncle Henry. Toto found me," said Dorothy, returning the hug.

"Good boy, Toto." Henry patted the little dog on his head.

Several people came in from the woods, followed by Aunt Em, who wore a black cloak to keep herself warm.

"It's Dorothy! Dorothy!" Aunt Em cried, as she ran over and put her arms around her niece, sobbing with relief. "Oh, thank goodness you're alive."

Carrying Dorothy in his arms, Henry took her back to the waiting truck just outside the woods, where many other people were just about to give up on the search when they saw Dorothy and were relieved. Nearby, news reporters began broadcasting the story about Dorothy mysteriously turning up alive and well in the forest.

"The clinic was hit by lightning, and then it burned to the ground," said Aunt Em, telling Dorothy the events that occurred right after she left. "Everybody was rescued except for Dr. Worley. He ran in to rescue his machines. Nurse Wilson ran in after him but never came out."

"We should never have sent you there, Dorothy," said Henry, looking solemn in the face. "We found out that Dr. Worley's machines had mentally damaged and driven his patients mad and insane. He had help from Nurse Wilson to lock them all away in a cellar to keep people from knowing the truth and be rid of those villains for their crimes."

"Actually, Uncle Henry, I already know about the damaged patients when I escaped," Dorothy said.

The sheriff's car halted beside them, and the car window rolled down so the Sheriff could talk to them.

"Well, glad to see that you're okay," said the Sheriff, smiling.

"Hello, Sheriff." Dorothy replied.

"So, any sign of the other girl? Staff members described her as a blonde wearing a white dress?" asked the Sheriff.

"No, we haven't found her," said Henry, "Half of the search party has gone down river. They're still looking."

Dorothy knew right away that they were talking about Ozma. "Oh, that girl was the one who told me about the clinic and got me out of there in time."

"I pray that they find her," said Em. "She saved my niece's life."

"Amen to that, Mrs. Gale," said the Sheriff.

After that, the car window rolled up and the Sheriff drove off back to town. As the car drove away, Dorothy noticed that in the back seat of the car, she could see the faces of that sour-faced assistant nurse and that angry long nosed assistant who worked with Nurse Wilson. Dorothy looked at them carefully and realized that the sour-faced woman looked exactly like Langwidere, and that long nosed man's face resembled the Head Wheeler.

-0o0o0-

Later that day, Uncle Henry was outside fixing up the hole in the roof of the barn and Dorothy was helping by cleaning out the dirt from the horse's feet. Toto did his usual thing; chasing chickens around the yard.

Inside the house, Aunt Em had finished laying out fresh clean clothes on Dorothy's bed for her to put away. Then something caught her attention. A bright shining light, but she didn't know where it came from. She turned around slowly and gasped when she saw where it was coming from.

"Henry! Dorothy! Come look!"

Uncle Henry and Dorothy were so startled by Aunt Em's sudden yell that Henry almost fell off the ladder. Running into the farm house, with Toto on their heels, they burst into Dorothy's bedroom. Aunt Em's face was as white as a bed sheet and she was pointing to the mirror. Dorothy and Henry looked and gasped in shock and amazement. Toto rushed in and his reaction was the same.

The mirror's reflecting glass had been replaced with the image of Queen Ozma, holding Billina in her arms, and both of them smiling.

"Good grief, who are you?" asked a shocked Uncle Henry.

"I'm Ozma, Queen of the Land of Oz, and a close friend of Dorothy."

"Of course you remember me since you tried to have me stewed up," Billina said mockingly.

Henry stared at the chicken in the mirror. "Did Billina just talk?"

"Of course she can, and so can I!" Came the Lion's voice, just as his face showed up inside the mirror, later followed by the Tin Man and the Scarecrow.

"Hi, kiddo!" exclaimed the Scarecrow, cheerfully. "Thanks to Ozma, we found a way to communicate with you using mirrors."

"And how is little Toto? He looks just as adorable as ever," said the Tin Man, looking down at Toto and waved at the little dog, who gave a friendly bark to his old friends.

Dorothy looked over at her aunt and uncle, both still staring at the mirror in shock, then glanced over at her. "You see? I _told_ you Oz was real! It wasn't a figment of my imagination after all. And Ozma here is the girl who rescued me from the clinic."

"Well…" Henry sighed after recovering from the shock, "I suppose we owe you an apology, honey."

"Me too," said Em, feeling regretful. "We should have believed you."

"Apology accepted," Dorothy smiled.

"Dorothy, we were just getting ready for the wedding of Marshal Mallow and China Princess," said the Scarecrow. "She says she wants you to be her maid of honor. And the wedding isn't until sunset."

"Oh, I would be honored," Dorothy chuckled. "Is it okay if I bring Toto and my relatives along?"

"Of course, if it's alright with them," replied Ozma.

Henry and Em glanced at each other, before they smiled, then turned to Dorothy, who was giving them a pleading look.

"I think a wedding sounds like a great idea," said Em, "but we don't have anything fancy to wear."

"Don't worry, Em," assured Henry, "I still have your old dress and my old tuxedo in the closet. We can use them."

"But what about Dorothy? What will she wear?"

"It's okay, Aunt Em," said Dorothy, "I'll know what to wear."

"Then it's settled," chuckled Henry. "We'll go as soon as we're finished with the chores."

-0o0o0-

The wedding in the Emerald City went out without a synch, and right now, everyone was enjoying themselves; moving to the waltz in the dance floor, others eating cake or other foods, and some enjoying a good chat with one another. Civilians from the Candy County and the China Country had attended the wedding as well as people from Munchkinland, Winkieland, Quadling Country, and Gillikin Country, and important Oz leaders.

Ozma was sitting in a chair at the table chatting with Polychrome the daughter of the rainbow and Mr. Wogglebug and the Queen of the Field Mice, Aunt Em and Uncle Henry swayed together on the dance floor, the Wizard was dancing with Glinda, Jack Pumpkinhead danced with a Miss Scraps the Patchwork Girl, Wiser and Toto and the Tiger were gorging themselves with cake until a stern look from Tiktok and Billina made them stop to remind them that the cake was for everybody, Woodenhorse and the Woozy were giving pony rides to little Button Bright and the other children at the far end of the room, Marshal Mallow was dancing with his new wife China Princes who looked now as tall as Glinda because she was wearing a magical pink and white pendant around her neck.

Surprisingly, the Tin Man and the Lion found love themselves. The Tin Man was unexpectedly reunited with his old girlfriend, Nimmie Amee, and he immediately asked her to marry him, to which she accepted. The Lion met and fell in love with a beautiful ivory tigress princess named Muhlama, and the feeling was mutual when he asked her for a dance.

And as for Dorothy and the Scarecrow, they were together in the center of the dance floor. They moved together like two waltzing angels in heaven, their love blooming stronger than ever. And when no one was looking, the Scarecrow led his beloved out on the balcony, where he, once again, kissed Dorothy on the lips. The moon shone high in the sky, its light falling upon the two young lovers, as a shooting star flashed across the sky.

**THE END**

_**(Eva Cassidy)**_

_**Somewhere over the rainbow way up high**_

_**There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby**_

_**Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue**_

_**And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true**_

_**Someday I'll wish upon a star**_

_**And wake up where the clouds are far behind me**_

_**Where troubles melt like lemon drops**_

_**Away above the chimney tops**_

_**That's where you'll find me**_

_**(Instrumental)**_

_**Someday I'll wish upon a star**_

_**And wake up where the clouds are far behind me**_

_**Where troubles melt like lemon drops**_

_**Away above the chimney tops**_

_**That's where you'll find me**_

_**Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue**_

_**And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true**_

_**If happy little bluebirds fly**_

_**Beyond the rainbow why, oh, why can't I?**_


End file.
